


To be a mortal among Gods

by galaxyacero



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Dad Fire Spirit, Fantasy AU, Fire Spirit is Devil and Angel's dad even if he doesn't realize it, Human AU, Is fantasy mixed with modern?? idk man there might be some stuff not timely accurate lmao, M/M, Probably ooc, Slow Burn, Some violent scenes nothing all that Graphic tho, The legendary cookies are Gods but the others are normal humans, because im not thinking new names for everyone, canon is dead and reality can be whatever i want it to be, no beta we die like man, they are all humans but still have their cookie names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 114,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24123127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxyacero/pseuds/galaxyacero
Summary: When a Fire God appears demanding a human sacrifice in exchange of the village safety, Knight doesn’t think twice before giving himself up in place of his best friend. It wasn’t what the God expected, but now since he can’t go back on his word, he has to keep the other until the right time. Will Knight be able to stand this annoying God and maybe learn more about the truth behind his motives? Or will he go mad before that? Who knows. At least the place he’s stuck in isn't all that bad.
Relationships: Fire Spirit Cookie/Knight Cookie (Cookie Run)
Comments: 94
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK OUT OF NOWHERE WITH A NEW COOKIE RUN FIC?!?! Haha yup. that's me.  
> and again is another FireKnight because those two are pretty much a comfort ship of mine and I love them lmao  
> i have no idea where this random idea came from, I have no idea how long it will be either, but STILL Hopefully i'll manage to have the patience and inspiration to finish it dakdsja  
> anyway uuhhh  
> Comments are more than welcome and definitely gives me the energy to continue this so feel free to leave any pfff

_“Many are the tales about the Gods and their deeds, the stories about those immortal beings raising mountains with a wave of their hands, or destroying whole civilizations with a single snap of their fingers are known far and wide. To respect and fear them is basic human survival, as well as a must. No matter where you come from or how you were raised, every mortal knows to respect and never challenge those greater beings, to share this mortal realm with them is the greatest bless of all, and to challenge one is a death wish, that’s what the elders always say. Many have gone off their homes in quests to defeat a God, to prove themselves, only to ended up meeting their grave, completely forgotten by all, and only serving as an example as to why a mortal should never challenge a God, as no matter how merciful some might be, a God will always get rid of those who opposes them.  
_ _Not all of them willingly walk among the mortals, why would they? All Gods have their own realms, their own places that's fully blessed by themselves and that radiates power. In the rare occasions a God might hear someones pleas in their prayings, they always send their bless in some mythical way, few are those willing to appear for the mortal who pleaded to them in person. The sight of a God is something to be awestruck by, after all. Because of that, every living being knows that if a God ever appears to you in person and demands something, you have no choice but accept their demands, unless you are willing to risk a cursed life, or have a death wish. A God’s demand is something to NEVER turn your head away, as they definitely have the power to get what they want, so is better for everyone involved if their wish is fulfilled willingly, and as fast as humanly possible. And most importantly, NEVER try to trick a God. No God like to be taken as stupid, attempting to trick a God out of their wish is just as bad as denying doing it, they might not kill you, but your life might as well be over anyway.”_

* * *

The human sighed, closing the book he was reading for probably the fourth time by now. Why did the village elders keep demanding he learns more about the Gods anyway? He already knew all of this. He knows to respect the Gods and all that, is all of this study REALLY mandatory when becoming a guard? He literally was mainly doing it so he could keep his best childhood friend safe at all times, Gods knew that girl could be a trouble magnet. Shoving his golden hair away from his eyes, the male got up, securing the huge book back at is place in the bookshelf, he should probably just go to the training grounds already and actually train with a weapon for a while, he was already late to the scheduled training anyway. Putting on his light leather armor and picking his sword, the young adult made his way off his home towards the main building in the village: The Chief’s hut. But before he could fully reach his destination, he was stopped by a voice he knew fairly well.

“-Getting ready to train once more, I see.” Said a young female with long teal hair, wearing her own set of armor with a spear in hands. “-I was wondering why you were taking so long to join us today. ”  
  
“-I was stuck in ‘history lessons’” The male simply said, adding air quotations at the end of the phrase. “-I don’t get WHY the Chief keeps having me have those lessons, I already know them! Why do I need to keep reading those old history books over and over again? I don’t remember you needing to do it, Pistachio.”

“-You would be right about that, Knight.” She let out a small laugh. “-I obviously HAD to to it, it was only once though. I think the chief just wants the lesson to stuck to you more than normally.”

“-Obviously.” -He puffed frustrated, swinging his sword to hit one of the training dummies nearby.- “-WHY though?! Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just have me train alongside the other guards instead?” Knight turned to the female, frustration clear in his voice. He just wanted to prove his best, why couldn’t the chief see it?

“-Knight, you already ARE and amazing warrior. I’ll go as far as admit you might be the best warrior in the whole village, everyone INCLUDING the chief already knows that! But...” Pistachio paused, taking a long breath before turning back at Knight. “-I think the chief wants to make sure you are the best guard you could be, since you ARE going to the position to be Princess right hand guard after all, if I was in his place, I definitely would want the one protecting my daughter to be the best they could.”

“-I know, I know…” He sighed, taking a few frustration blows at the dummies before stopping and turning back at Pistachio again. “-But the chief knows me practically my whole life! My father was HIS right hand guard, I’ve known Princess since we were both toddlers, we grew together, Pistachio!” Another swing at the dummy “-If he knows I’m an amazing warrior, then why isn’t he having me do anything else BUT learn about the old Gods?”

“-You...COULD use some learning about the Gods though…” She said in a low voice. “-No offense Knight, But I think the whole village knows about your… View towards the Gods.”

“-LOOK, I know what everyone says behind my back, alright?!” The male said, a scowl in his face. “-I don’t know if they think I can’t hear them or what, but I CAN say most of what they say is completely bullsh-”

“-Language, Knight.” Pistachio interrupted the other frustrated rant. “-Look, I know you. I’m your friend. I know a lot of what they say isn’t accurate, but you also cannot deny some of it IS lowkey correct.” She turned towards Knight, placing one hand on his shoulders. “-I know some of the tales and stories might sound dumb, but we all have to respect them. The Gods, I mean. They are the most powerful beings around the world after all.”

“-I do respect them…” Knight said in a low voice. “-I just don’t understand this- BLIND adoration towards them!” - He replied frustrated.- “-Yes they are powerful, yes they do amazing thing mortals like us could only dream off, but just look at where we live, Pistachio! Our village might be incredible and be thriving, but we still are just a small village in the middle of the forest, the last time ANY of the Gods ever came in contact with us was centuries ago, when the village first came to be! Whenever something bad happens, we are quickly to push the blame towards one of our own, but when someone does something amazing, everyone thank the Gods instead! Isn’t that a little unfair? Why do we keep focusing on building altars and leaving offerings to Gods that don’t really come by, instead of focusing on our own people?”

Pistachio sighed “-I understand where you are coming from Knight, really I do! But the Gods are always around, even if we don’t see them, they are always doing something. The offerings and altars are exactly so we don’t have to face the wrath of any of the more violent ones, you SHOULD know that.” -She frowned.- “-The last thing anyone wants is to have a God unhappy with our people, who knows what they would do? We can’t risk the chance of finding out.”

Knight turned away from Pistachio, deciding to just focus on the actual training. Why do everyone keep telling him the same things like he didn’t understand? He did, he really did, but why did none of them understand HIS point of view?! Respecting the Gods and their powers is something he did, praying for the Gods is something even he would do whenever he had doubts and fears, he just didn’t understand this blind adoration, this whole deal of putting the Gods in top of everyone else. Knight knew what the Gods could do, but shouldn’t the people be focusing more on themselves? He remembers clearly when he was just a young boy and the village had a shortage of food, everyone was growing desperate, not because of the fact people might not have what to eat, but because they were afraid to not have enough offerings for the Gods instead. He remembers clearly some elders literally starving to death because they gave up the little food they had for the Gods instead of eating it themselves, THAT’S the blind adoration Knight didn’t understand and wanted nothing to do with. A guard should protect his village and the people on it, not putting their lives behind the one of a God who would most likely never even appear and do anything around to help.  
Releasing his frustrations on the poor training dummies helped a little, Knight could hear Pistachio and a few other guards doing the same a few meters away, some also training with the dummies, while other were sparring between themselves. Knight could ask Pistachio if she was willing to have a spar session with him, but after that conversation, he decided it would be better to just train by himself anyway.  
After a few hours passed, the sun was beginning to set in the horizon. Knight could hear some of the guards deciding to end the training for the day, walking by the benches to rehydrate themselves and what not and returning to their homes, slowly but surely, the training grounds where getting empty, but Knight wasn’t stopping. Training helped him clear his mind, and he sure had a lot of pent up frustration that needed to be released right now. Pistachio came by to try to have him to stop at some point, sweating, clearly ending her own training session after hours, but Knight simply pushed her off, telling her he still had energy to keep going. Knowing it was a lost cause, she left back to her own place, shouting about how “Knight better not train the whole night and forget he actually needs to stop and sleep, because she wasn’t willing to carry him back to his place again.” To which he just gave a grunt in response.

* * *

And truth be told, maybe he would have spent the whole night training. Is not like he didn’t take a few breaks every now and then, he wasn’t stupid to use all that energy without making sure he was properly hydrated after all, still, he also wasn’t the best at keeping track of time, looking around from his place sitting in once of the benches, Knight could see the moon high in the sky, alongside many stars, a gentle breeze flowing by, it was a good night. He had no idea how late it was, but judging by the fact he could hardly hear anyone around, and could only see a few houses with their lights on, it was clearly late. He should probably go home for the day, last thing he needs is to hear more complains about the noise he was making late at night.  
He was gathering his things, ready to head home, when he could feel a presence behind him, quickly turning around, Knight was only startled for a second before realizing who was in front of him.

“-Oh boy, who would have guessed it was you still around the training ground at this hour, huh?” The small pink haired said, a playful tone in her voice. “-Knight, do you even know what time it is?” She asked, hands moving towards her hips.

“-Princess.” Knight gave a small bow, setting his sword safely back on his hip. “-I...I’ll admit I might have lost track of time…” He turned away, small blush on his cheeks. “-But I was getting ready to return home, anyway.”

“-Oh Knight…” Princess sighed. “-What was this time?” She asked the other, a serious look on her face. She knew her old childhood friend with the back of her hand, so she could tell there was something bothering him.

“-... Just the same things as always, I suppose…” He sighed, sitting back at the bench. “-I just got frustrated while talking with Pistachio. Nothing bad, just… The usual stuff.”

“-Still mad about dad making you read all those books about the Gods huh?” She asked, taking a seat next to the other. “-I told him you would be mad about that, but he insisted it was ‘for your own good.’ Or something.”

Knight huffed. “-Yes. I still don’t understand why he keeps insisting in having me read them over and over again. I get where he is coming from, but I doubt just reading the same thing over and over again will change the way I view things…”

“-Hey, you think YOU have it bad? I had to learn about these things on top of learning how to run the village pretty much since I could read!” She playfully shoved the other, laughing a little. “-But for real…” She paused, a understanding smile on her face. “-I do understand your point of view Knight, you’re always thinking about everyone safety and well being before your own, but for some people, their safety relies on the Gods, to give them offerings, to pray to them, that brings them peace and comfort…” She puts a hand on the other shoulder. “-I’m not saying you have to go as far and do what they are doing, but maybe try to understand their own point of view as well. You are going to the position to be my right hand guard, and that means you would be around the people even more! Dad might not be using the best methods to change how you see things, but he too only wishes the best for you, he doesn’t doubt you will be my right hand guard, but he also knows that being in that position, means you will have to accompany me in all the God ceremonies and what not, so you probably would need to be into it as well and what not…” She sighed, pausing for a few seconds. “-That’s basically what he told me at least.”

Knight was quiet, what Princess said made sense, and he was well aware that he WOULD need to participate in the ceremonies and what not when he was her guard, no matter how much he didn’t see the point in them.  
“-I suppose you are right. Again…” He let out a small laugh. “-Even if is not something I fully understand the reasoning behind it, just like I do not enjoy when people try to change my way of viewing things, I shouldn’t try to do the same with others…”

“-Now, there is the Knight I know!” The girl gave him a small side hug. “-Look, I’ll talk with my dad, see if there ARE some other ways for you to ‘learn about the Gods’ other than just reading those boring books, Gods knows they get tired REALLY fast.” Princess frowned. “-Who knows, maybe I can convince him to just have you spend time with the cleric Milk instead.”

“-I suppose that would be SLIGHTLY better. Sitting still reading for hours isn’t really my style of doing things…” He let out a small laugh, to which Princess gave one of her own. “-Anyway, it really is late. I should probably head back home, and so should you. I’m sure your father might be getting worried about why you are taking so long as well.” Knight said while getting up, offering a hand to the other to help her up as well. “-Do you want me to accompany you to your place?”

“-My home is literally a few meters away Knight, I’ll be fine!” She said, taking the other hand and getting up herself. “-Worry about yourself for once, alright? Go home, take a shower, eat something since I KNOW you probably didn’t have a good meal in hours, and then have a good night of sleep! That’s an order as your future chief!” She said with her hands on her hips and a playful tone that did have some hint of truth behind it.

* * *

Knight let out a small laugh, just nodding his head in agreement. Princess gave him one final hug before turning to run back to her place, wishing Knight a good night, who turned back to his own place. As he expected, the paths were completely empty, just the chirp and sounds of small animals from the forest nearby could be heard, Knight reached his home after a few minutes of walking, leaving his weapon near the entrance and locking the door, he sighed, thinking back to everything that happened that day, he finally could feel the exhaustion hitting him, still, he managed to go and have a shower and change into something way more comfortable than the armor he was wearing the whole day long, walking into his small kitchen area, he managed to grab himself something to eat, he was running out of supplies he noticed… He should probably stop by the market district tomorrow and grab some stuff. After finishing eating, he set the dirty dishes in the sink, he thought about washing them, but a loud yawn made him decide he should just go and get ready to bed. Let that be future Knight problem. Making his way to his bed, Knight turned off the lights and got comfortable under his blankets, wanting nothing more than to just sleep undisturbed until the morning.  
Whoever, he didn’t get to have that, as he woke up in the middle of the night, with screams and shouting happening right outside his window.

Quickly getting up his bed, he didn’t have time to change, just grabbing his sword, Knight quickly ran outside, ready to defend his village and its people at all costs, whoever when he stepped outside, the sight in front of him was enough to make him wish it was all a nightmare of sorts.  
Houses were burning and coming down, flames dancing all around while the people ran to safety as their lives depended on it, he could hear children crying and people screaming, he could see other guards up and about, taking the people to a safer place and desperately trying to put some of the flames off, one fear suddenly struck his mind, Princess! Was she alright?! What about her father?! Where did this fire even came from?! Knight quickly turned to run to the Chief’s hut, it seemed the flames hadn’t made their way towards there yet, which made him let out a sigh of relief, until he suddenly caught a movement at the top of the house. Was...Someone there? Or had the flames caught up with the house but just on the other side? Knight could see more guards scouting people around, relief struck him when he caught sight of Princess familiar pink hair, but before he could take a breath, that breath was stolen from him at the sight of what what is front of him.  
From the top of the hut, what he thought were simply flames, a form stepped down, it was tall for what Knight could see, orange skin, adorned with golden jewel, carrying a scepter on their hand, Knight almost thought they were on fire, until he realized the flames seemed to dance around them, never hurting them, on their head, more flames seemed to take place as some sort of hair, when the being opened their eyes, Knight could feel himself freezing in place, could feel the power from the being right in front of him.

It was then, that Knight realized, that wasn’t just any being in front of him.

That was clearly a God.  
A Fire God. The reason why the whole village was up in flames to begin with.

Knight suddenly realized he DEFINITELY wouldn’t be getting a good night of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fire God makes his demands known. 
> 
> And Knight decides he can't stand it.

Knight stood there, the red stare of the God in front of him seemed to make it impossible for him to move a single muscle. From the corner of his eye, he could see other people already realized just what was currently in the middle of their village, fearful whispers were present left and right, some were already on their knees, bowing down while tears made their way down their faces, begging for forgiveness for whatever disrespectful thing they might have done. Knight managed to look around to better take a look at Princess, the poor girl was protectively being hidden behind her father, who also couldn’t take his eyes away from the God, fear clear in both father and daughter faces. Knight wanted so badly to run to their side, but he couldn’t, not when the God was positioned right between himself and the two of them, even if it was possible, what would Knight even do anyway? This WAS a God. An ACTUAL God! Knight kept staring at Princess, who for a moment stared back at him, he tried to give her a reassuring nod, to give her some comfort that things would be alright, but before he could, a chuckle made him turn his attention back to the God.

“-Well, Well… Ain’t THIS an interesting place you guys have here!” The God smirked, pointy teeth making themselves seen. “-Pretty comfy. You guys surely were pretty deep in the forest huh? No wonder it took me a while to find this place!” The fire being suddenly floated from the ground, flames dancing around underneath him, he turned his head and stared right at the Chief. “-One would think you guys were trying to hide out here…” His voice was low, terrifyingly low, his smirk never leaving his face, whoever. Knight could visibly see the Chief shaking from where he was standing, and the tears pricking at the corners of Princess eyes. 

“- O-oh great fire God…!” The chief began to speak, voice shaking in fear. “-Please forgive me and my people,if we did anything to disrespect you!” He quickly got on his own knees, everyone around him who still didn’t, quickly following his move, even Knight didn’t think twice, he knew it was probably the smartest move right now. “-B-believe me when I say, the last thing we are trying is to hide from any God! W-we always make sure to leave offerings to any of your kind, if we made you angry, p-please let us know what we did wrong, I’m sure we can make up for it! We can give you anything you want, so ple-”

“-Oh, I KNOW you guys can…” He let out a small chuckle. “-You guys might be away from everything, but I have heard of you and your people. All about those offerings...Celebrations… Even the temples and what not. And then I realized…” Floating above everyone, the God crossed his legs, staring at the gem at the end of his staff. “ -My, my, those guys surely don’t think twice before giving a God anything huh?! I’m sure they would be PERFECT in getting what I’M looking for…” The smirk made its way back to his face. 

“-Y-yes, of course…!” The Chief lifted up his head, still kneeling down. “-W-whatever you desire, we can give to you, Oh Great Fire God!” Swallowing nervously, the man bowed down completely once more, taking the eyes away from the God in an attempt of show respect. 

“-Well, First things first buddy…” The God finally settled back into solid ground. “-While I do appreciate being called great, let’s get my ACTUAL name out of the way, hmm~? You may call me…” He opened his arms, confident smirk on his face, Knight could see the staff glowing slightly before the flames all around the village suddenly growed highly out of nowhere all at once. “-FIRE SPIRIT! God of Flames and Destruction!” 

“-I-I thought the Great Red God was the god of fire…” Knight suddenly heard a small voice whisper from behind him, he didn’t dare to turn back at have a better look at the poor soul who said it, he didn’t recognize the voice either, but judging by the silence and small gasps he could hear afterwards, he knew he wasn’t the only one who knew that was NOT the time to say something like that. 

**“-OH…?”** The God voice suddenly sounded dangerously low. “-Is there someone who DARES to question me…?” Fire Spirit turned towards the voice. Knight knew he wasn’t looking at him, but just being in the way made him completely freeze once again, the God was staring right towards his direction, behind him, with a terrifying look on his face. Knight could heard a gasp and the sound of what was probably the someone clapping their hand on their mouth, guess they didn’t realize they were heard.

“- I-I-I…!” The poor being stuttered, heavy tears down their eyes. “-I-I’m sorry! P-please, I didn’t mean to disrespect you, Divine one!” Knight was staring at the poor man, who was bowing so hard Knight could see his head was leaving a mark at the earth bellow. The blond suddenly shivered, quickly turning his head to his side he could see the God making his way towards the poor man, blank expression on his face, calmly walking with his staff and hands behind his back. The man who had raised his head for a second, eyes opening in even more fear.   
“-P-PLEASE!!” He pleaded, voice shaking. “-I-I WAS JUST CURIOUS! I D-DIDN’T MEAN TO DISRESPECT YOU! H-HAVE MERCY! I HAVE A FAM-” His words got caught up in his throat when the God suddenly stopped right in front of him.

“-...” The God stared down at the man, blank expression still on his face, threatening aura around him, the flames kept growing higher and higher, they didn’t seem to spread anymore, but the heat was becoming unbearable even from where Knight was. “-...Just curious huh…?” His cold voice got another sob from the man. “-...Why, I know what that feels like!” Fire Spirit suddenly smirked. “-Aren’t your mortals just DEADLY curious about everything~?” He let out a small chuckle, suddenly turning and walking away from the shaking man. “-I suppose I can understand the sentiment. Is not like I HAVE made myself known that well like big Red has~” 

The man gulped, he didn’t dare to open his mouth again. 

“-And I mean…” Fire Spirit stopped, a few centimeters in front of Knight, which allowed him to hear just how dangerously low his voice was, and once again, Knight caught a glimpse of the God staff glowing again. “-I too can be rather curious. For example…” The God looked back at the man from the corner of his eyes, creepy smile back on his face, he lifted his left hand. “-Right now...I’m rather curious how long it will take for your body to be reduced to ashes when I do THIS.” 

Before Knight could blink, the God snapped his fingers, and almost immediately, a terrifying scream filled the village, looking back at the man, Knight just witnessed him being involved in flames, that wouldn’t go away no matter how much he screamed and pleaded. Children and people were screaming and crying in horror, as before they realized, the man’s body slammed into the ground with a final deadly scream, before stopping completely and being involved by the flames, until there was nothing but a pile of ashes and burned clothes on his place.   
Knight stood there, shocked, mouth hanging open, cries and sobs where coming from all around him. He couldn’t help to shake in fear himself.

“-Huh. Nearly 10 seconds! Wasn’t THAT a fun discovery~?!” The God voice broke between the cries. “-Well, now that I’ve dealt with that…” He floated back in front of the Chief, voice once more dangerously low. “-I think we can continue our talk, hmm~?”

“-Y...Yes…” Knight could hear the broken voice of the chief, full of fear. From behind him, he could see Princess clearly crying her eyes out, letting quiet sobs every now and then, and who he suspected was Pistachio doing her best holding the girl, trying to give her some sort of comfort. “-P-Please, Great Fire Spirit...A-allow us to know w-what is it that you desire.”

“-Ah yes, what DO I want…” Fire Spirit floated higher, crossing his legs once more, he was basically sitting in the air. “-Don’t let my recent show of power cloud your judgement now, old man… You see, truth be told, I’m quite the merciful and understanding kind!” He opened his arms, Knight noticed the flames around were basically out by now. “-I COULD go on and terrorize your place, demanding high offerings and what not, BUT! I actually only want ONE thing from your little village. And when I get it, you have a God’s word, that I’ll never come by ever again! Doesn’t that sounds great?!” He asked with a sick smile, floating in front of the Chief. 

“-W-what is that you desire? I’m sure me and my people will work as fast as we can to make sure it h-happens!” The Chief tried to sound strong, Knight noticed, emphasis on tried, whoever. 

“-Oh, I only want one tiny little thing…” He paused for a second, laying on his staff connected to the ground, while still floating near. “-... I want a sacrifice.” Voice cold, and creepy smirk was back on his face while he stared directly into the chief’s eyes. 

“-W...W-what…?” The Chief whispered, from behind him, Knight could hear Princess let out a small gasp between her quiet sobs. “-A...A sacrif-”

“-OH! And not just ANY sacrifice~” Fire Spirit interrupted. “-What I want… Is your next in line.” 

“-W-WHAT?!” The old man shouted, tears on his eyes. Knight could hear shouts of surprise and fear from all around him, meanwhile, he just stood there in shock. His next in line… But that would be…!

“-You heard me, old man~” The fire god chuckled. “-Your next in line. Your heir. The next person who is supposed to rule this place. I want them to be given to me.” 

“-M-my…!” The Chief couldn’t stop his tears and sobs anymore, hands clasped around his mouth.   


Knight couldn’t stop his own tears either. Princess. Princess was the only heir the Chief still had, have already lost a daughter ages ago. Princess, his childhood friend, his BEST friend. The one he had swore to protect at all costs, the reason behind his wish to become a guard in the first place. This God wanted her as a sacrifice. Knight was aware that was something some Gods would demand sometimes, human sacrifices. One more reason why Knight despised this blind adoration towards them. 

“-Y-you…” The broken voice of the old man was heard once more. “-You..you want me to kill-”

“-Oh stars, No! I didn’t say anything about killing, did I~?” Fire Spirit interrupted the devastated man. “-What I want, is them to be given to me. Whatever I do after that, is up to me to decide~” The smirked remained on his face. 

“-B-but..W-why…?!” Knight suddenly heard Pistachio’s low voice, the teal-hair was still trying to console a devastated Princess. 

“-Why? Because I can, of course!” The God let out a laugh. “-I mean, is either one life… Or the whole village. That seems fair, don’t you think? One sacrifice for the safety of your village.” 

“-I...I…” The chief was speechless, clearly torn between losing his only daughter and the lives of everyone. 

The God suddenly let out a ‘tsk’    
“-Alright old man, tell you what…” He floated back into the ground, one hand on his hips while the other was holding his staff, pointing towards the Chief. “-This clearly is a hard decision to you, I get it! Like I said, i’m the understanding and merciful type, after all~” Another chuckle. “-You don’t need to give me your answer right away. In fact, I’ll give you until tomorrow!”

“-T...tomorrow…?” The Chief low voice asked.

“-Yup! I do have a time schedule here, and frankly, i’m already losing WAY more time than I wanted…” The God took a quick glance around the place. “-So, i’ll go for tonight. Let you take your decision, and tomorrow, when the sun goes away to give place to the moon, I’ll return.” Fire Spirit closed his eyes, smirk on his lips, turning his staff towards the moon that was high in the sky. “-I’m sure that MORE THAN ENOUGH Time for you to come to a decision, hmm~?” He leaned towards the Chief, asking with a dangerously tone in his voice. 

“-I...I…” The Chief gulped, taking a pause to breath to control his tears. “-Y-Yes.” His voice sounded so weak, Knight noticed. “-I...I’ll have made my decision b-by tomorrow…”

“-Great!” Fire Spirit clapped his hands. Any remaining of fire that still resided around the village suddenly extinguished completely. “-Tomorrow, at sunset, I’ll appear by the village entrance, try not to keep me waiting, I DO have the habit of setting things on fire when i’m bored, appear with your heir to offer them to me, and i’ll take them… I’m sure you can deduce what’s the OTHER option and it’s consequences, right~?” Menacingly staring at the Chief, flames danced around the God shoulders.

“-Y-yes… I’m… I’m aware…” Another gulp from the Chief.

“-Good! Aren’t you smart~? Well then…” Fire Spirit straightened his back, swepping invisible dust from his shoulders. “-I’ll take my leave now. Remember old man…” He stared back at the older male once more. “-By sunset. At the entrance of the village. And before you even DARE to think of it, do know I’ll be able to track you and your people down, have you attempt to escape somewhere else.” He said, voice low. “-And if you made me lose more of my precious time by tracking you all down...I’m sure i’ll grow quite CURIOUS about how fast a whole village and it’s people can be reduced to ashes.” 

Before any other reply could be given, the God bursted into flames, disappearing right before the people eyes. A Burn mark on the grass where he stood and the destroyed buildings around the only proof he was even there at all. 

* * *

Silence was heavy in the air, before the sobs of the Chief finally broke it. Turning towards his daughter, the poor man just hold her tight, and the girl held back just as strong. Knight could hear more cries from all around him. The ashes and burnt clothes of the poor man were being swept by the winds. He couldn’t believe it. Was… Was that really happening? Was he about to lose his best friend? Knight knew that at the end of the day, Princess would convince her father to do the best thing for their people, no matter how afraid she was. What did the God even wanted with her? He didn’t really want her dead...Then what?! A million of questions where making their way in Knight’s head. Part of him wanted to get up and go to his friend side, and console her and her father, but he knew for now, they needed each other more than ever, so he just stood there, still on his knees, tear marks still visible on his face, for what felt like hours.   
Finally, the feeling of someone touching his shoulder broke him from his trance. Looking up, Knight stared into Pistachio equally red from crying eyes, offering a hand to help him get up, to which Knight hesitantly accepted. 

“-...We should make sure there aren’t any people gravely injured…” Knight could hear how broken her voice was, no matter how much she attempted to not let it show. 

“-...” Knight kept staring at Princess and her father, who were still holding each other for dear life on the ground, tears still falling from both their eyes. 

“-...Give them some time.” The female said. “-They...They need to have some time alone…”

“-I…” Knight gulped, trying to not cry once more. “-I… I know…” He turned away from them, looking at Pistachio. “-D-do…” He held in a breath. “-Do you know their decision already…?” Knight asked. He already knew their decision. He truly did. But there was this really small part of him that hoped the Chief had SOME sort of plan that didn’t involve sacrificing his own daughter to a Fire God. 

“-...What do you think…?” Pistachio sighed. “-You know Princess better than me. You know she would convince her father to ‘do the right thing’.” She sadly stared at Knight.

“-I Know!” He suddenly shouted, not able to hold the tears in his eyes anymore. “-I...I…” A sob, he tried his best to clean his tears with his forearm. “-Pistachio… Is… Is there really NOTHING we can do?! W-we’re her guards! Her FRIENDS!” Another sob. “-A-are we just… Gonna let her go like this?!”

“-What do you want to do, Knight?!” Pistachio shouted back, angry and sad tears pricking at the side of her own eyes. “-That’s A GOD we are talking about! You saw basically first hand what he can do! He ended someone with a snap of his fingers in seconds! There is no way we can fight him! NO MORTAL can fight a God, Knight!”

“-I KNOW THAT! I- I just…” Another sob, Knight turned from Pistachio, trying and failing to keep his tears in. “-I just… Can’t accept it, Pistachio… T-there… There’s GOT to be SOMETHING we can do! I’m not saying to fight the God but- Anything!”

“-Are you talking about what?! TRICKING Him? This can be just as bad as fighting him!” She attempted to reason with the other. “-If we try to trick him, and he finds out, we are all doomed! Me, You, Princess, EVERYONE. You think he will hesitate to destroy everyone?!” 

Knight remained quiet, a few tears still in his eyes. He knew she was right, Gods he knew. But he absolutely COULD NOT just sit by and accept it, dammit! He had taken an oath, he swore to protect Princess with his life if he had to, and now he was supposed to just NOT to it?! Because a God no one has ever seen before suddenly appeared?! The Fire God voice kept playing in his head, his awful demands haunting him. The demand to have the chief’s heir be given to him…   
Knight suddenly realized something. Not once, did the God seem to realize just WHO was said heir. Could… Could he not know the Chief had a daughter? Just that he had a heir? Could that mean… 

Suddenly making his way towards the father and his daughter, Knight could hear Pistachio shouting his name behind him, but he didn’t stop. If his theory was correct, that would mean Princess could be safe. He knew he should give the family time, but if he was right, they wouldn’t need to say goodbye anyway. Stopping in front of them, Knight cleared his throat, quickly getting both of their attention, Princess was still crying, tears rolling down her face, while the Chief seemed to have calmed down slightly, still having a broken look on his face, Knight offered them a sad smile, hoping they could forgive him for interrupting their moment. 

“-I...I apologise, sir…” Knight bowed his head slightly. “-I know this isn’t a good time but-”

“-Knight, my boy…” The Chief sniffed, cleaning the remaining of his tears from his face, before putting a hand on the other shoulder. “-It’s alright. I… I understand this is hard for you as well. For all that is worth it, you always have been part of this family…” He replied with a sad smile. “-I can imagine this whole situation is as hard for you as it is to me. I… Definitely never expected I would need to… S-say goodbye to my daughter like this...” The old man voice cracked, sadly staring at his daughter while holding her hand. 

“-Y-yes sir… It… It is…” Knight stared at Princess, who kept her eyes locked on her own feet. He could see she was trying to be strong. To her father and everyone, but Knight could see right through her, she was scared, clearly, with a good reason. Knight couldn’t stand it. His theory HAD to be correct… He would pray to the Gods for that to be the case, but then again, this whole mess WAS happening because of a God, so he didn’t know how much good that would do. “-B-but… I… I have a plan I would like to share. I-If it works, It would assure the safety of not only the village and its people, but of Princess as well.” He gulped, staring right at the old man in front of him.

“-A...a plan…?” Princess broken voice suddenly asked, finally staring at the younger male along her father.

“-What… what plan, my boy?” The Chief asked, confusion clear in his face and voice. 

Knight closed his eyes and breathed, gathering the courage to share his plan. This COULD mean the safety of everyone, it could also mean their demise. Letting out a sigh, Knight finally spoke.

“-Have ME be the one being send away instead of Princess. When the God appears, pretend that I’m your oldest son, and the true heir to the village.” Knight said, a serious look on his face while he stared at the Chief, who was just staring back in shock.

“-... What…?” Knight heard the low and yet shocked voice of Princess from behind her father side.

He knew it was stupid. He knew it could go, Oh so wrong. But if it meant saving his best friend…

Knight surely would be stupid enough and attempt to trick a God.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well aren't things getting interesting? ~ >:3c
> 
> Also thanks everyone for the support in the first chapter! Ya'll are definitely giving me the energy to continue this pfff  
> and also i realized there is definitely going to be...SOME violent scenes, so I changed the warnings a little dajkadjka


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY EVERYONE! First things first, I am SO thankful for all the support this fic is getting! Srsly, you have no idea how happy every little comment/kudos make me! ;u; Words can't express how happy i am people truly are enjoying this silly thing of mine! Do keep the comments coming, i might not reply, but do know im extremely happy with all support and what not from them!
> 
> Second, I actually worked on... A little something FOR this fic that is... CHARACTER DESIGNS!  
> Yup. Since starting this fic, I had in mind some different designs for the characters since is an AU and what not, and since the fic is getting a few people reading it, I thought I would pull out some sprite edits and share some of the designs with everyone!  
> So, here is a link for my tumblr with the designs! Just copy + paste it on your browser and check it out! The designs are for:  
> Knight, Fire Spirit, and Angel and Devil, who haven't appeared that well in the fic yet, but they will soon, so I might as well share their designs too!  
> Feel free to like + reblog the piece as well if u got a tumblr, that truly helps me since tumblr keeps eating my posts in the tags lmao
> 
> https://galaxyacerodoesart.tumblr.com/post/618139924857798656/since-writting-my-fireknight-au-fanfic-i-had-in
> 
> And that's about all I wanted to announce! So... enjoy the chapter, everyone!

Knight could feel the Chief’s and Princess burning stares right through him. Both of them stood there, in silence, mouths open as if not believing what they just heard. Knight was starting to have second thoughts about sharing his plan now, listen, he understood the consequences if it didn’t work, he really did. But if this could offer a chance, even if a slim one, to save Princess, he REALLY hoped the Chief would understand his point of view.

“-S-sir…” Knight gulped before attempting to break the silence. “-I understand this plan could go SO wrong, but please listen! T-this might be the only way to save your daughter, and if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to take the chance?” He pleaded, looking right at the older male eyes.

“-...There is no way to trick a God, my boy…” Chief replied, serious look at his face while staring right at Knight. “-Again, I understand this is hard but-”

“-I know that!” Knight interrupted. “-B-but listen. It COULD work! Remember what the God said? ‘Give me your next in line.’ Sir… I don’t think he realizes you have only one daughter. I don’t think he realizes Princess is the next to rule. You know more about the Gods than I do, aren’t they usually very specific in what they want? Wouldn’t that mean he would ask for your daughter directly instead of ‘your heir’?” The blond continued, trying his best to make Chief see what he was thinking, he just needed to see Knight’s point of view, and then MAYBE he too could see this plan working.

“...They… are usually very specific about their requests, father…” Princess quiet voice suddenly spoke, resting a hand on her father's arm. “-He… didn’t use the word ‘daughter’ once…” 

“-That- That might be true, but-!” Chief turned to face Princess. “-It’s still attempting to trick a God! All stories about mortals trying to do such thing ended in tragedies! What if he finds out?! He’ll burn the whole village and it’s people without hesitation! I-” The man closed his eyes, covering his face with one of his hands. “-... I dislike this whole situation more than anyone… After losing both, your mother and sister, I… I made a promise to protect you no matter what, dear…” He gently caressed Princess face. “-... But this… plan, is…” 

“-Sir…” Knight gulped, bringing the older man attention back to him once more. “- I too made a promise to protect Princess, remember? She has been my friend as long as I can remember so…” He sighed. “-I am willing to risk my chances, to keep this promise. Protect her, no matter what.” Knight finished, a serious look on his face.

Chief was quiet, staring between his daughter and Knight for what felt like minutes, finally, he sighed, and turned back to the younger male.  
“-... It’s awfully late, my boy… Let… Let us go and rest for the remaining of this night. The God will only be appearing again tomorrow at sunset, after all…” He placed a hand on Knight’s shoulder. “- I… I’ll think about your plan, alright? I can’t promise to go with it but… I’ll promise to think about it.” He offered the other a weak smile. 

“-Thank you sir…” Knight gave a small nod in return, truly thankful the Chief would at least think about it.   
Giving both her father and Princess a low wave, Knight turned to go back to his house, noticing them doing the same.  
  
Those who had their houses badly burned were being directed to some other friendly people houses, Knight noticed. Lucky, it seemed no one was badly hurt, well… Apart from the guy burned to ashes, that’s it… Sighing, Knight reached his doorstep, opening the door and making his way inside, leaving his sword in its regular place. He honestly doubted anyone in the village would be getting any sleep in the remaining of that night, but he could use laying down in bed for a few hours.   
Sliding into his bed, Knight laid on his back, staring at his ceiling, he could still feel the faint smell of smoke from outside, the events of the night kept burning in his head every time he closed his eyes. The awful anxious feeling of not knowing what the Chief final decision would be, if he would accept his plan or not, If he didn’t, Knight wasn’t sure if he was ready to say goodbye to Princess, if he did accept… Well… Knight had no idea what to expect either, he just kept telling himself that, as long as it saved Princess life, it was worth whatever would happen to him.   
Honestly, it was a good thing he already expected to not get any more sleep that night.

* * *

  
The sun was barely up by the time Knight decided he was done laying in bed not being able to sleep. It’s not like he wasn’t used to waking up early anyway, he figured he might as well be somewhat productive since he couldn’t rest. Getting up, he opted for taking a quick shower, his clothes smelt like smoke, and so did his hair, which made the supposedly quick shower actually last a few minutes, but finally, he couldn’t smell that anymore, at least not in his own house.   
  
After putting on a clean set of clothes, Knight took a bite on an apple and taking his sword, left his house. A few people were also already up, probably not having been able to sleep either, most were cleaning the broken burnt pieces of the houses affected by the flames, Knight went and joined them. He was still a guard, and helping the people in need was still part his duty.

The cleaning took quite a while, which honestly surprised Knight. He knew a few houses were hit by the fires, but he didn’t expect so many debris from it. Cleaning sweat from his forehead while resting on a nearby stool, Knight noticed the sun high in the sky, meaning it was most likely nearly midday, he thought about going to the training grounds, he definitely needed to. Way too many thoughts and worries on his head, but being near the training grounds meant most likely seeing Princess and her father. He wasn’t avoiding them, obviously, but Knight couldn’t help but feel like he would be pushing their patience and decision if he was around after suggesting such plan… Then again, they knew him. If there was any person in the village that would be looking to hit dummies after the attack of an God, that person would be Knight. Sighing, the blond got up, deciding on have some proper meal, before going to train.

He just hoped to be able to avoid the ones who lived near the place for a little longer.

* * *

Training always helped whenever he was stressed. When he had too much in his mind. He don’t know when this started to be something, but Knight suspected probably his whole life, he had been surrounded by it since he was a small boy, after all. 

Swinging his sword once more, he kept on hitting the fake opponent, the training grounds were basically empty, Knight figured most of the guards were more focused on helping around, or perhaps they just weren’t feeling well after last night events, he couldn’t blame them, honestly. Not even Pistachio had joined him yet. Sighing, Knight jumped back, ready to hit the target once more, when the sight of Princess walking into the training grounds had him stop. 

Her eyes went immediately to him, a sad look still on her face, her hands gently placed on top of one another, and resting in front of her. She kept staring at Knight, who has completely stopped his training at this point and was staring back at her. Finally, after a few seconds, Princess finally spoke. 

“-... Oh boy… Who would have guessed it was you at this time at the training grounds… huh…?” She spoke, letting out a small chuckle, despite how small and tired she sounded. 

“-Princess…” Knight replied, a small weak smile on his own face. 

The girl chuckled once more, before making her way and sitting in one of the benches nearby. “-Knight… Please take a seat…” She spoke, voice and face more serious than the male ever remembered hearing. Without hesitating, Knight walked and took a seat next to her. Princess kept staring off into the distance, wind gently blowing her unkempt pink locks.   
“-... Your plan is crazy. You know that, right…?” She broke the silence, eyes still staring off. 

Knight sighed, staring into the horizon as well. “-... Yes. I know.” He closed his eyes.   
  


“-Everyone knows to go against a God in any way is a death wish…” She continued.

“-I know.” Knight replied, voice calm, staring into his lap. 

“-...Then why…?” Princess almost whispered. “-Why did you suggest to take my place…?” She was staring right at Knight, he could notice small tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. 

“-Princess…” The blond stared back at her, sad smile on his face. “-I made a promise, remember? I promised I would protect you, no matter what. I promised I would give you my life if I had to-”

“-BUT I DON’T WANT YOU TO DO THAT!” She shouted, interrupting the other. “-I… You are my very first friend, Knight… I KNOW you made this promise but- How do you expect me to feel if you die because of me?!” Tears were going down her face. “-I’m the chief’s daughter… I studied every since I could remember to serve and help my people, no matter what… Knight…” She took one of his hands on hers. “-You TOO are my people! You might have taken an oath to serve me, but at the end, you are part of this village just as much! You are my friend, just like its your duty to protect me, is my duty to protect you as well…” 

“-Princess…” He stared at her sadly, he understood her point, but still… “-... That’s another reason for me to do this.” He squeezed her hand, eyes never leaving hers. 

“-W-what do you mean…?” She sniffed, attempting to clean her tears with her free hand.

“-Your duty is to look out for the people in the village. They are depending on you. It will come the time when you will rule them to greatness… They are counting on you. I can’t let all of them lose that, I can’t let all of them lose you.” He offered her a weak smile. “-Who would look after them if you were gone? Just like you are willing to sacrifice yourself for them, I am more than ready to do the same to you.” 

“-...” Princess was quiet, taking back her hand from Knight, she continued to clean her face. Sniffing, she got up from the beach. “-... I knew there was nothing I could do to change your mind…” She whispered weakly, sad smile on her face, she turned back and stared at Knight still sitting down. “-... Dad wants to talk to you about this plan of yours… He’s… He’s waiting on the meeting room… The rest of the generals and what not are there as well so… He sent me to get you...” Another sniff.” 

“-Of course…” Knight replied with a nod, voice low, before getting up himself. 

Princess gave him a nod of her own, before both walked into the Chief’s meeting room, side by side. For the first time in years, Knight was extremely nervous to talk with the Chief.

* * *

Walking into the room, Knight could feel the tension in the air. At the head of the table, stood Chief, his generals and right hand guard by his side. All the eyes fell on Knight once he walked into the room, gulping, he could almost feel their stares burning right through him. 

“-Take a seat, Knight.” Chief’s voice broke the tension, nodding, Knight sat in one of the empty spots before the older male continued. “-As I promised, I took my time to think about… Your plan.” He paused. “-I review it with my most trusty guards and generals, the village cleric and priests, all of them, just so I could come to a decision after viewing all the possibilities and…” He sighed, staring directly into Knight. “-... We decided to take a shot at your plan.” 

Knight stood there, shocked, mouth hanging open. Had- Had he heard him right?! Did he really accept his plan?! Was he…?!   
“-W...What…?” The blond asked, not believing what he was hearing.

“-We will attempt your plan. We will have you be the one offered to the Fire God.” Chief said, hands on his back, staring at the table in front of him. “-You will be presented at my oldest son, my first-born. The ‘true’ heir of the village. I… I checked with those more connected to the Gods than me, and they all affirmed Gods are always very specific about their demands, so if this one didn’t specify ‘daughter’ when asking for a sacrifice…” He sighed. “-There… Is a slim chance we can trick him, so if you are still up for this...” 

“-I… I s-see, of course I am, sir...” Knight replied, still not believing what he was hearing. They would try it. He could really be the one to save Princess life. 

“-Very well…” The Chief sighed again. “-... I DO hope you also realize the consequences if your plan doesn’t work, Knight…” He said, concern clearly in his voice, while looking at the blond. 

Knight sighed, staring at his lap. “-I...I do, sir. The fact you are willing to trust me enough with this is… Is already all I could ask…” He stared at the other, weak smile on his face. 

“-Of course…” Chief smiled back. “-If… If there is a chance to save my daughter, I will risk it. Mostly, because it was you who suggested this… Has it been anyone else, I don’t know if I would have taken the time to think about it…” 

Bowing his head, Knight offered the old man a genuine smile. “- I’m glad you understand how I feel, sir…”

A small chuckle. “-Of course… Now…” He let out a small cough. “-There are some preparations we need to do to make sure this works as best as we can. We need to warn the people in the village, my guards are already taking care of it, and we need to make sure we have answers for any possible question the God might throw in or way about you being my son…” 

Knight nooded, getting up and making his way next to the Chief so they could discuss such matters. He could see Princess sad smile staring at him in the side, he offered her a reassuring smile, to which she sighed, before turning her head away from him.    
He really hoped she could find it in her heart to forgive him one day. He was doing this for her, between them, she was the one who deserved to live a good life, she was the one worth of protection. She was the one he had made a promise to. 

  
Discussing the plan has taken way longer than Knight imagined. Since before he could realize…   
It was only a matter of minutes before the sun would go down.

* * *

As Knight walked alongside the Chief, a few of his guards, and Princess herself, to the entrance of the village, Knight could feel the tension all around him. Pretty much everyone was locked inside their houses, but Knight could hear their whispers and feel their stares through their windows, some with angry scowls in their faces. It was clear some of them really were against this whole idea, and were preparing to be killed later tonight. Knight turned away from them, he couldn’t focus on that. He had to remain as calm as he could. This wasn’t for them anyway, not really.

Once they were exactly at the entrance gate, all of them stopped.

“-We’re here…” Chief whispered, before gulping. Knight could see the older man sweating, clearly nervous about the whole thing, not like he could blame him. Knight was a nervous wreck himself right now. 

If this didn’t work, if they really couldn’t trick a God… Knight would have been the one responsible for the death of many. The death of those he swore to help and protect. If it DID work… Well, the important thing is he would have saved everyone. He would have saved Princess. That’s the important thing. 

Before anyone could think or say anything else, the sun has gone down. The reds and oranges hues of dusk began to leave and give place to the blues and blacks of night. And almost a minute after the sun was gone…   
A Burst of flames in the front of the gates had everyone gasping. And from those flames, he appeared. Holding his staff in one hand, and brushing his “hair” (was that hair?? Or just flames?? Knight had no idea, but he was brushing them aside as if it was hair anyway…) there stood Fire Spirit. The God had his eyes closed, whistling some strange melody to himself, before opening his eyes, as if just noticing the mortals were already there.

“-Oh! Oh my! Guess you guys really didn’t attempt to make me wait, hmm~?” He chuckled, leaning on his staff with a smirk in his face. “-Good, Good… That is very good indeed… It does mean I sadly won’t be burning down any trees around though, but then again… I always hear complains non-stop from Windy whenever I do it so… I guess is better I didn’t.” The God shrugged, smirk still on his face. 

All the mortals at the entrance kept staring at the God, nervously sweating, Princess held onto Knight’s arm for life, he could see the beginning of tears forming behind her eyes filled with sorrow. 

“-But ANYWAY!” Fire Spirit turned to float near the Chief. “-Enough boring rants. You know why I’m here. So…” He began, voice dangerously low. “-Have you made your decision, old man?” He stared into Chief’s eyes, terrifying smirk showing pointy fangs. Knight could see flames wavering around the God, coming from his cape. 

Chief gulped. “-Y-yes…” He began to speak, voice shaking both from the genuine fear, and also in an attempt to further trick the God. “-I...I thought about it. A-and… As much as it pains me deeply I…” Another gulp, he turned his head to stare at the ground. “-I...I talked with my children. And… I decided to give you my first-born. T-the one who was going to be the next ruler in the village...” He finished speaking, voice weak.

“-...” The God stared at him for a few seconds, a surprisingly shocked expression in his face, before the expression turned into a huge smile. “-HAHA! YES!! I GOT IT!!” Fire Spirit shouted happily, swirling in the air for a second before landing back on the floor with his feet. “-Oooh I knew you would be smart, and do the best thing, old man~! Not gonna lie though, part of me thought you would attempt something to change my decision, BUT I’m glad you didn’t! Definitely makes things MUCH faster to work with!” He stared back at the Chief, pointy smiling still present in his face.   
“-Hehe… Now…” He let out a small chuckle, hands going through his hair once more, before turning and looking at the people standing behind the chief, before asking with a voice dangerously low. “ **-Where are they…?”**

Chief took a deep breath, hands shaking, he turned and stared at both Knight and Princess, who were holding onto each others arms. He looked at Knight, giving him a nod, and receiving one as well. Knight sighed, biting his lips, he turned towards Princess, the tears in her eyes already making their way down her cheeks. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and a tight hug, before letting go of her, and walking right next to the chief, hands clasped together in front of him, he kept his head low.

“-T-this is him…” Chief began, voice shaking, one arm around Knight’s shoulders. “-This… This is my oldest son, Knight.” He gulped, trying to keep in a sob. 

Knight took a step forward, head still low and hands still clasped in front of him, he let out a shaken breath, before speaking, still not looking the God in the eyes. “-I-is.. is an honour to b-be in your presence once more, G-great Fire Spirit.” 

“-... Hmmm” Fire Spirit kept an skeptical look on his face, one hand in his chin, he began floating and circling around Knight, eyes never leaving him. “-...So… You are the Chief’s oldest child, huh…?” He asked, serious tone in his voice.

“-Y-yes. That would be me.” Knight gulped, eyes still glued on the ground. “-I-I’m older by four years…”

“-How old are you, then?” Fire Spirit asked, still floating around the other, blank expression in his face. 

“-I’m 22.” He replied, honestly. “-J-just turned 22 recently, in fact…” 

“-Hmhm, I see…” He squinted his eyes, staring at Knight’s face. “-What about that girl with pink hair huh? What is she to you?”

“-M-My sister?” The blond asked, blue eyes finally leaving the ground to look at the God’s red ones. “-She… She’s my little sister. My beloved little sister who I p-promised to protect no matter w-what…” He continued, apart from the ‘sister’ part, every word in his sentence was indeed true. 

“-Your sister huh....” Fire Spirit kept staring between Knight, The Chief and Princess. Between the two with pink hair and the one with blond hair. “-...You don’t really look that much like them…” He said, voice low, floating above Knight, his face inches from Knight’s.

“-I-I…” Knight kept staring at the God eyes, WHY was he so close?! “-I… I took more after our mother… W-while my sister after our father…” He gulped. 

“-Where is your… ‘mother’ then, hm?” Fire Spirit asked, floating back a little. 

“-S-she…” Knight held in a genuine sob. Remembering the death of Princess mother always was a sad thing. “-S-she… I-isn’t around… N-not anymore…” He turned his head, hoping to keep the tears in. 

“-...... Ah…” The God paused, awkwardly looking around, seemingly truly uncomfortable. “-I… See…” He let out a fake cough, Knight almost thought he heard a faint ‘sorry’ between those coughs, but he dismissed it as his imagination playing tricks on him.    
“-Uuuhh… Anyway… One last question, buttercup.” The God stared at him once more, while Knight squinted at the ‘nickname’. Buttercup, really? “-Where were you last night, hmm? I think I remember seeing the pink hair girl next to the old man there, but I definitely don’t remember seeing a blondie like you there…” He asked, voice low.

“-I-I was there!” Knight replied quickly. “-I was on the other side, I-I saw you guys interaction first hand.”

“-Really huh?” The Fire God asked, hand back on his chin. “-Hmm… now that you mention it… I THINK I remember seeing a blur of blond hair when I was dealing with a problem…” He said, almost in a whisper. “-... Why weren’t you right next to your family though? Don’t you all live in the same place?”   
  


“-N-not really…” Knight replied. “-I...I always cherished my privacy, So once I turned of age, father has allowed me to have my own house in the village, at least until I would get the chief role.” He gulped. “-M-My house was nearby, but still, by the time I ran to their place, you were already there, s-so…” 

“-Hmm… Is that so…” The God stared back at Knight, leaning on his staff.    
Knight could feel how nervous everyone behind him was. He could see, from the corner of his eye, Princess hugging her father with one of her arms, hand on her face, with tears sliding down her cheeks. Chief also had small tears in his eyes, but Knight could clearly see the older man sweating. The blond couldn’t help but sweating a little himself. This had to work. Please buy the story, please buy the story, pleas-

“-Alright then!” Fire Spirit voice broke the tension. Staring back at him, Knight could see the smirk was back on his face. “-Guess that covers any questions I had, buttercup~” He floated towards Knight, hands on his back. “-You better be ready to go! Again, I do have some time schedule I would like to keep~ Sooo… I dunno…” He sighed, laying on the air, one hand behind his neck while the other was waving towards Knight. “-Go like, say goodbye to your family or something. You definitely aren’t gonna see them any time soon~” He let out a low chuckle, the last part of his sentence was whispered so low Knight barely managed to hear it.

Knight stood there in shock, tears going down his eyes. He… He did it. THEY did it! They, himself and the rest of the village did it. The God truly believed he was the Chief’s son. He had done it. Princess would be safe, she-    
He heard a sob, staring back, he saw Princess crying her eyes out, trying to hide her face in her father’s side.    
Staring sadly at her, Knight slowly made her way towards her, the God did tell him to say goodbye, right? He looked at Chief’s own crying eyes, the man clearly was happy his daughter would be okay, but still… Knight was basically part of their family. He knew how much his daughter cherished him, he knew how much it would hurt her. Without any hesitation, the older man pulled Knight into a tight hug, which Knight hugged back just as tightly. Genuine tears coming from both males. Chief let go of the other, doing his best to clean his tears, he turned to Princess, the poor girl still trying to hide her face and sobs with her hands. Knight sadly stared at her, tears at the corners of his own eyes.

“-I… I promise things will be okay…” He whispered to her, weak smile on his face, while gently caressing her face, trying to clean some of the tears.

Princess let out another sob, before launching herself around Knight, putting him in another tight hug, Knight didn’t hesitate in hugging her back.

“-P-p-please…” Knight heard her weak voice, whispering next his ear. “-P-Promise me you w-will be alright…” 

Knight gulped. He didn’t know that. He had no idea what would happen with him now, but taking a deep breath, Knight squeezed the female a little more before speaking. “-I promise.” 

After what felt like hours, but was just minutes, Knight let go of Princess, the girl sobs had quiet down slightly, she went back to her father side, holding his arm. Sadness on everyone faces.

“-ALRIGHT, TIMES UP!” The God voice suddenly brought Knight’s attention back to him. “-You said your goodbyes, is time to go~!” He said, fanged smile back in his face.

“-Y-Yes…” Knight let out quietly, doing his best to clean his face with his sleeves. “-I-I’m ready…”

“-Good~!” Fire Spirit chuckles, smile never leaving his face. “-Now…” The God floated back into solid ground, looking at Knight, he offered the blond a hand. “-Hold on, buttercup~ And try to not let go, unless you feel like turning to a pile of ashes right away.” He said, almost in a singing tone of voice.

Knight stared at the God extended hand, he didn’t understand why he needed to hold the other hand but, he wouldn’t question anything at this point. Gulping, he took one last look towards Princess, giving her one last reassuring nod. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards Fire Spirit, holding onto his hand tight.

And before Knight could ask anything else, the world around him bursted into walls of flames. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys... I swear. Ya'll gonna kILL ME WITH ALL THIS SUPPORT KLSDAKDLASJ <33  
> Seriously though. When I began to write this, I NEVER could have expected so many people to truly like it, I'm getting so many nice comments and asks about the fic, I honestly don't know how to properly reply to them 90% of the time :') 
> 
> All this support is amazing, and definitely is giving me the energy to continuing writting it! So once more, thank you, everyone! <33  
> without further ado, let's get into this chapter!

A burst of flames, a sudden warmth, and the sensation of pretty much being shaken in the air, like gravity stopped existing for a second and suddenly was back. That’s the best way Knight could describe just what happened with him right now.

It took him a minute to get a hold of himself again, just as quick as those flames had engulfed him, they were gone, Knight had no idea what just happened or where the God had taken him, right now, he was trying to just stand up straight, which was proving to be rather difficult with how dizzy he felt. He tried to look around and see if he could identify anything, but with how bright things around were, that just made the headache and dizziness worse. Quickly bringing his free hand to his mouth, he closed his eyes, tried to calm his breath and do his best to not just throw up right there. Seriously, what DID just happen? Where was he? What did the God--

“-Aaw geez, I forgot something like that could happen…” Fire Spirit voice right next to him suddenly broke Knight’s train of thought. “-My bad. Forgot your mortals are DEFINITELY not using to travelling between the realms.” The Fire God let out a small laugh, letting go of Knight’s hand to pat his back slightly for a second. “-You’re gonna be fine though. Just some minor sickness from the travelling, I’m sure you must have had worse before.”

“-Tra...velling…?” Knight asked, staring at the God. Voice weak, he was slowly but surely getting over his dizziness, one hand still near his mouth just to be safe, while the other was on his knees, in an attempt to support himself slightly. 

Fire Spirit smirked, looking at the other. “-Yup!” He walked in front of Knight, opening his arms. “-Welcome to the realm of the Gods, buttercup~!” 

Knight blinked a few times, before taking a deep breath, finally feeling like he could stand straight and walk without throwing up, he turned to look behind the God and couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him.    
Standing there, was a huge double gate, surrounded by walls made of red cobblestone as far as he could see, huge maroon banners, with an orange flame symbol were being hung on the columns next to the gate. Inside, Knight could see a path, surrounded by-- Were those LAVA fountains?! Knight didn’t felt like that was possible, but if this really was the Gods realms, maybe such thing wouldn’t be as impossible as he thinks. The path lead to what Knight assumed was a castle of sorts, and finally, no matter how little sense it made, he could see hedges and plant bushes here and there as well, most with some different red and orange type of flowers Knight wouldn’t be able to name even if he tried to, plants were never his forte. The best he knew were roses (which looking better, he could see what was probably a small rosebush on one of the sides, actually.) and that was is.  


Mouth agape, the blond honestly couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He was just at the entrance of the village a minute ago, now he was here, in front of a huge castle, surrounded by strange trees he never had seen before. Was this… Was this really the Gods realm? He remembers reading about it in the books, remembers all the speculations people always made about it, but to actually BE here, that was something many only dreamt of. 

“-I know~ Pretty great, ain't it?” Knight jumped, not expecting to hear Fire Spirit voice right behind him, seeing his reaction, the god just let out a chuckle.

“-Is… Is this--” Knight gulped, staring at the god for a second before turning back to look at the entrance in front of him. “-Is this… Really The Gods realm…?” Ok, maybe that was a stupid question. But a part of Knight just needed more confirmation of the things around him, it was still hard to believe this was happening, after all.

“-Yup.” Fire Spirit replied, floating next to him. “-Well, technically is A PART of it… My part.” He shrugged. “-The realm belong to the Gods, BUT all of us have our own… Space here. Basically. We live here, and every now and then, when we feel like, we might just, hop into your mortals realm.” 

“-Ah… I see…” Knight was quiet for a second. So he really was here, the place where he was sure so many would kill to be in. Suddenly, the realization of why he was there to begin with came back to him. Right… He was still technically a “sacrifice”. Gulping, he couldn’t help the fear rising in his stomach again, he had chosen this. He did this for Princess so she would be safe, but he was still just human, no matter how brave he was, he was still at the mercy of a God right now, with absolutely NO IDEA what said God even wanted him for. Was be about to be killed the second he stepped into those gates? Would the fire god make him a servant of sorts? Or something even worse?! What if--

“-Yeeeah, anyway.” Fire spirit spoke, walking towards the entrance. “-We don’t have all day, so let’s get inside already, hmm?” He opened one of the gates, standing aside, inviting the other male in.

“-I-Inside…?” Knight asked, voice low. Part of him knew it would be better to not question the god, but the other was honestly scared of what could happen with him once he stepped in. 

“-Well, duh.” The fire god huffed. “-Time works a little different between the realms, but it will be night time soon here as well. You don’t want to spend the night on a tree now, do you?” He asked sarcastically, smirk on his face while staring at Knight.

“-O-Oh…” Knight stood there, not knowing how to respond for a second. Spend the night… Did that mean he WOULDN’T die the second he stepped in? Gulping, he shook his head, slowly making his way towards the gate. “-N-no… I suppose that would be rather uncomfortable…” He said, voice low, while passing the God and walking inside the gate.

Fire Spirit stepped in after the other, closing the gate, which Knight could see gave out a faint orange glow once closed. Floating next to the other, Fire Spirit began walking down the path, Knight following close by, arms closed tightly around himself. 

“-Anyway, I’ll go and show you where you can sleep. You mortals need to do that, right?” The god asked, looking at Knight. “-I guess what I got will be good enough… If not you can complain with the other Gods, they were the ones who gave me those ‘mortal stuff’ anyway.” He shrugged. 

“-I…” Knight stared at the other, confusion clear on his face. Just… What exactly was going on? What did all of that mean? A place to sleep? But why? How long was he going to be there? WHAT was the god planning?! Without realizing, the blond stopped dead on his tracks, eyes fixated on the ground, million of questions in his mind. “-...What are you planning to do with me…?” He whispered, eyes still locked into the ground.

“-Eh?” Fire Spirit stopped, staring back at the other. “-Didn’t catch that Knighty, what did you said?” He asked, confusion clear on his voice.

“-...” Knight bit his lips, letting out a breath, he lifted his head to stare back at the god. “-I said… WHAT are you planning to do with me…?” This was a mistake. Every book Knight ever was forced to read always said to never question a God. But honestly? At this point, Knight was standing quite literally in the realm of Gods, in front of one, and he had questions. Questions he DEFINITELY would be asking, even if it meant his death. 

“-...” The God stared back at him, blank expression on his face. Knight could feel himself sweating while being stared by those red eyes. Finally, Fire Spirit huffed, with a small smirk on his face, he turned away from the other before speaking.    
“-For now? … Nothing, really.” He shrugged. “-I do have plans. But I need to check with some of the others firsts so…” He turned back to look at Knight. “-For now, the plan is just… Keep you here, I guess.” He replied, blank expression back on his face.

Knight stared back, mouth agape. Nothing for now? That honestly just made him have even more questions. That meant he WAS planning something, but not for now? What could that mean? Knight kept staring at the God, not getting what was his deal anymore, he wouldn’t have appeared, threatened to destroy and kill a whole village, demand a sacrifice, just to not do anything with it, right? What could this plan of his be? As much as he was dying to ask, Knight doubt he would get any straight answers from the Fire God. 

“-Yeah, anyway, look...” Fire Spirit broke the silence, huffing in annoyance. “-Just don’t worry about it. You will know when the time comes. For now, let me just show you where you can go and sleep. Like I said, I do have to check with some of the other gods about some stuff, and I would rather do this tonight still soooo…” He went back to floating, arms crossed, waiting for the blond to follow him. “-If we can just get this over with, I would appreciate.” 

Knight gulped, bitting his lips. He decided to drop the subject before the God got angrier. Nodding, he went back to walking beside the other in silence, just taking the time to look at the area around him, still questioning if those fountains really were lava or just something alike.

“-Are… Are those fountains actually lava…?” He whispered, he didn’t really mean to be heard, but it seemed the God had caught what he said that time.

“-Hm? Oh! Yeah!” Fire Spirit turned to look at where Knight was staring, the fountains spouting lava. “-They ARE Lava. BUT don’t worry…” He closed his eyes, head facing back towards the path, smile on his face. “-They are magically enchanted to not be hot. They can’t set fire to anything or anyone.” He shrugged. “They honestly feel like a slimy orange water… And are mainly there just for the aesthetic, to be honest.”

“-Ah… I see…” Knight bit his lip again, honestly at this point he wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up bruising it. 

The blond decided to continue to stare at the scenario around him instead of focusing his attention on the other next to him, it didn’t seem like the God minded, as from the corner of his eye, Knight could see him happily whistling, eyes closed and hands behind his back while making his way next to him. Apart from the strange lava fountains, the place was… Honestly pretty. The flowers and gardens seemed to be well kept, Knight was sure Princess would have loved those flowers around, he couldn’t name a single one apart from the roses, but he was sure she would have liked them. A sad smile made its way to his face before he realized, he didn’t regret his decision one bit, but obviously he too would miss her. Sighing, he closed his eyes, the realization he would never see her or anyone else he knew ever again had already sunken in, but it didn’t meant it didn’t make him feel horrible about it.   
Before he realized, he was standing in front of the castle entrance, huge double dark oak doors surrounded by walls made of dark red bricks, Knight could see more banners and flags with flame designs around, he was staring up at the castle, when Fire Spirit walked past him and opened the doors, once again, stepping to the side, to let the other in. 

“-C’mon buttercup, you can stare at my walls some other time.” He smirked, staring at the other, leaning towards the open door. 

Knight let out a huff, that nickname wasn’t going away, was it? After walking in, Knight looked at his surroundings, that place was fancy. Stupidly fancy, he noted. Yet, somehow it seemed to fit the fire god perfectly. Almost everything had the same red, maroon, black and orange color, with bits of what Knight could assume were actual gold here and there, torches, lamps and chandeliers lit with bright orange flames illuminated the place.

“-I Know, I know…” The god’s voice broke the silence. “-It’s amazing.” He smirked, eyes closed. “-But again, you can look at it some other time, Let’s go upstairs so I can show you your ro--”

The God sentence was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash that apparently, came from one of the rooms in the corridor behind Knight, which had the blond quickly turning his head towards it.

“- Um.. What...What was that?” Knight asked, genuinely curious. Was there someone at the god house? Was is another human somehow? Was Knight not the only one?

“-Uuuuuh…” Fire Spirit stared towards where the sound probably came from, mouth closed on a thin line, he took a deep breath before saying anything. “-That was… Nothing! Probably the wind!” He let out a nervous laugh, making his way behind Knight, going towards the place the noise came from. “-I’ll just… Check to see if nothing broke. Be right back! Wait here!” And with that he was sprinting down the corridor. 

Knight stood there confused, there is no way that was just wind. What was the God trying to hide from him? He knew he should listen and stay put but… His curiosity had won the battle against reason that time.    
Sneaking down the corridor, Knight stopped when he hear the other voice from inside one of the rooms, he couldn’t hear exactly what was going on, but he was sure he could hear two other voices apart from Fire Spirit. Knight tried his best to listen, but still he could only caught parts of the conversation. 

_ “-Who’s that?! Who’s that?!” _ A high voice. Almost sounded like a child, Knight noted, was asking excited 

_ “-Shhh, He might heard you two even more!” _ A rushed voice whispered. Fire Spirit.

_ “-Ew, is that a mortal?!” _ Another child-like high voice, a glimpse of annoyance on it.

A small high gasp.  _ “-A mortal?! Is it really a human?!” _

_ “-Yes!” _ Another rushed whisper from Fire Spirit. _ “-That’s a human, alright?! Why are you two so surprised? I told you both I was going after one and why, remember?”  _

“ _ -Yeah, But I didn’t think it would be so fast!”  _ The annoyed voice said. _ “-Why is he here though?!” _

“ _ -He will stay here for a while, until the time for the-- Don’t give me that face, Devil! Look.” _ A sigh.  _ “-The guy will stay for a while. After that I’ll do what have to be done, alright?!” _

A pause, followed by more whispers, Knight was getting nervous not being able to catch anything else from the conversation, so he decided to go back to where he was supposed to have stayed before the God returned, quickly sneaking his way back, The young man continued to have even more questions in his mind.    
Those were definitely voices. YOUNG voices, it seemed. Was there REALLY someone here? Knight bit his lip, fidgeting with his hands, he didn’t even realize when the God had stepped out of the room and was walking towards him again. 

“-Heh, yup. It was just a vase pushed by the wind. Man, Windy really is still mad at me for burning down those trees ages ago…” He let out a fake cough. “-Uuhh anyway. Nothing to worry about. Let’s just go upstairs, hmm~?” With a smile back on his face, the god made his way upstairs, without much choice, Knight followed, taking a second to glimpse back at the corridor. 

He could have swear he saw two set of glowing eyes, before he blinked and they were gone. 

* * *

“-Aaaand here it is!” Fire Spirit stopped in front of another large set of dark oak doors. “-The place where you can go and sleep. There is also a bathroom there, since I know you mortals need to use those as well.” 

“-Uhh… Y-yeah, we do…” Knight stared at the doors, unsure what to expect inside. 

“-Well, if you are just going to stand there like an idiot, I’m sure you can sort yourself out, but again, I got places to be, sooo…” The God leaned towards the door frame. “-If you need help figuring how to open the doors, say it now, before I leave.” Fire Spirit stared at the other, fanged smirk on his face. 

“-W-what?!” Knight asked, frustrated. “-I don’t need help opening a door, thank you!” Huffing in frustration, the blond pretty much slammed the door open, as if trying to prove some sort of point. The echo of the door slamming in the wall could be heard down the whole corridor. Knight gulped, WHY did he do that?! Was he TRYING to get killed faster?! He stood there, hand still on the open door, mouth closed on a thin line, expecting to hear shouts of anger from the God at any second now.

“-...” Fire Spirit stood there in silence, blank expression on his face.   
Before bursting out laughing.  
“-BWA-HAHAHA OH… WOW.” He continued to laugh, holding his stomach in laughter with one of his hands, what Knight would guess to be the fire god equivalent of tears appearing at the corners of his eyes. “-That was… That was SOMETHING alright.” He continued to laugh, hands cleaning the tears from his face. “-AMAZING technique, buttercup. Ten out of Ten. Care to do it again? I think the Goddess of Night might have missed it and didn’t hear you the first time~” The god stared at the other, smirk on his face, laughter finally dying down. 

Knight stared at him, confused, and embarrassed, he could feel his cheeks were getting red, from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “-I d-didn’t MEAN it to be that loud…!” He said in a rushed tone, turning his face away from the God. 

“-Hehe sure… Whatever you say, bud.” Fire Spirit let out one last chuckle. “-Anyway. I DO need to get going before they get frustrated with me keeping them waiting so…” He stepped into the room. “-Do whatever you want. Explore the place, go to sleep, I dunno. Just remember one thing.” His voice suddenly got low, dangerous smile on his face, he turned to Knight. “-Don’t go into my room.”

Knight gulped. “-S-sure… Which… Which way is your room, though?” The blond could feel himself sweating. 

“-Is at the south wing. The opposite direction of where your room is. You can tell is my room because of the carvings on the door and the banners around, hard to miss it, trust me~” He gave the human another smirk, floating near his face. “-Let’s make a deal, alright~? You stay out of my room, and I’ll knock when I need to come into yours. I remember you saying you cherished your privacy, right? Then I’m sure we can respect each other privacy for the time being.” The god asked, floating away from the other side, making his way out of the room. 

“-U-uh… S-sure. I can work with that…” Knight stared at the other making his way out.

Fire Spirit was about to disappear from Knight sight, when he popped his head inside the room again. “-Oh! One last thing!” He floated back to Knight’s side. “-On top of the bed, there is a set of clothes I need you to put on.”

“-A set of clothes…?” Knight stared at the bed, confused, he could see a pile of something there. “-Why… Do I need to change them right now?” His clothes weren’t even dirty...

“-Yup. Not now-now obviously, there is a bathroom, there SHOULD be a working shower there if you want. That’s the clothing you shall be wearing around here, there will be more pairs of it of course, but that’s the basic deal. You can get rid of these old clothes of yours.” He pointed at the other clothes. 

“-I…” Knight stared down his clothes, hands fidgeting again, he honestly didn’t get WHY he needed to change, but then again, it was definitely best to not challenge the fire god because of something simple as clothing. Sighing, he just gave the god a nod. “-Sure… I’ll change soon.” 

“-Great~!” Fire Spirit said in a singing voice. “-Well, I’ll be going now. Remember, change your clothes, feel free to explore the castle area, and stay out of my room.” He was making his way down the corridor, Knight looking at him from the entrance of his room. “-Oh yeah!” He paused, looking back at Knight. “-I SHOULD let you know that any possible exit from the castle are IS magically enchanted to burn down anyone trying to break out. Sooo you know. Maybe NOT try to do that, hmm~?”

“-Y-yeah… I… Didn’t plan to, anyway.” Knight bit his lip, answering honestly. Escaping wasn’t even an option in his head, where would he even go? He wasn’t even in the mortals realm anymore.

“-Good! Makes it easier for everyone!” He turned back, and continued walking. “-Not sure when I’ll be back sooo… See ya, buttercup~” 

And with that, he bursted into flames at the end of the corridor.

Knight stood there, staring at the spot the God had disappeared for a few seconds, finally, he let out a sigh, staring back at his “bedroom”. It honestly wasn’t a bad bedroom, a double bed, with red covers, a nightstand on each side, with lamps on top of them. To the side, Knight could see a dresser, and a door that lead to what he guessed was the bathroom Fire Spirit mentioned. Did fire gods even take showers?! He doubted they needed to go to the bathroom, it seemed Fire Spirit didn’t even need to sleep or anything like that, shaking his head in an attempt to get those stupid questions out of his mind, Knight walked towards the bed, and just as the God had said, there, on top of it, was a neat pile of clothes. 

The blond picked the clothes up, staring at them, squinting his eyes. These shades of red REALLY weren’t his color, he was sure he was going to miss his blue outfit, but he suspected he would need to get used to the reds. Sighing, he picked the clothes up. Might as well check on the bathroom, he thought. 

He could do it. He just needed to keep remembering he did it for a good reason. He did it to make sure everyone would be safe.

Whatever Fire Spirit had planned for him, he would take it.   
Even if it meant death.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a change in perspective to see things on Fire Spirit side for a second. Some new faces make themselves known, alongside Fire Spirit real plan regarding Knight.
> 
> Oh yeah, and also he suffers.  
> slightly. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Knight just meet the figures he heard the other night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I don't have enough words to thanks everyone for the support i've been getting on this fic. <3  
> Thanks SO MUCH for all the comments, questions about this AU, fanart, anything really! Remember, if you have anything you would like to share or ask, my tumblr inbox is always open! Feel free to drop in even if in anon! :D
> 
> This chapter is slightly longer than the others, I think? I just didn't want to separate it in two so... pff  
> enjoy reading I guess :'D

Stepping out of the flames, Fire Spirit found himself in front of a huge golden gate, eight banners with different colors and emblems swaying in the wind, he kept staring at them for a good minute, fists unconsciously clenching around his staff while he bit his lower lip.   
Closing his eyes, the God shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, no time for that. He was already late, he knew he would already be hearing about that, no use in giving them even more reason to be mad. Taking a deep breath, he pushed one of the doors open, stepping in. Walking down a corridor for what felt like ages, he finally could see his destination appearing at the end, the huge meeting hall. 

Stepping inside, Fire Spirit was faced with a circle with 8 thrones, all elevated high off the ground, on five of them, stood five figures, Fire Spirit could see the unhappy expression in at least three of them. Gulping, he passed a hand through his hair, trying his best to put on his regular carefree persona when getting ready to face the other Gods. 

He barely stepped into their view when one of them spoke.

“-You’re late.” An angry voice growled. Immediately looking up, Fire Spirit could see that no one other than the God of Earth, Gold, or ‘Ananas’ had spoken. Angry scowl on their faces, sitting on their throne with their legs crossed, head resting in one of their hands and tail swinging from side to side in frustration. 

  
Swallowing a lump in his throat, Fire Spirit turned away from the other stare.    
“-I know. It wasn’t really my fault though...” He rolled his eyes, before finally looking at the other God on their eyes. “-I had to deal with the mortal you guys made me bring home. You know how needy those can be, don’t ya Goldie~?” He could feel himself sweating, but there was no way he would let the other realize how nervous he was.

Another angry growl. “-Watch your tongue boy. Or you might end up losing it.” Ananas replied, angry scowl on their face. “-And don’t you dare act like this is on us, we didn’t ‘force’ you to anything! Be thankful we are already losing our precious time giving you this chance.” 

“-Yeah, yeah… I know.” Fire Spirit rolled his eyes. “-Don’t need you to keep reminding me of that.” He whispered the last part, crossing his arms, head turning away from the other God. 

The Golden God was about to shout another angry reply, before they got interrupted by another voice coming from one of the thrones.

“-Enough of that, Golden.” The voice was Ivory, God of Knowledge. “-You keep on saying how we are wasting time here, so let’s just get this done with, how about it?” They stared at Ananas, voice cold and face blank. 

“-Hmph, whatever.” The golden god let a final growl, crossing their arms and sitting further into their throne.

“-I take the Tree, Moon and Sea won’t be joining us, then?” A calm voice spoke in the form of Blue, God of Wishes and Luck. 

“-Afraid not.” Spoke Ivory. “-You know how difficult it is to get a hold of Moonlight during the night, same thing with Sea Fairy. And Millennial Tree simply wishes to not take any part in this whole deal.” They spoke, sitting up straight on their throne while looking at the other God.

“-Heh, the old tree still isn’t a fan of our ‘methods’ is he?” Another snarky voice spoke, smirk on their face and pretty much lying down on their throne instead of sitting like the others, was Violet. God of Darkness and Nightmares. 

“-He always loved those mortals way too much.” Grumbled Ananas. “-No idea why, there is absolutely nothing redeeming on those useless wastes of space.” 

“-Some of them are rather interesting…” Said Blue, blank look on their face. “-It’s rare, but every now and then, one out of a hundred prove themselves worthy or something.” 

“-Oh please, Blue!” Ananas rolled their eyes, hissing. “-You out of everyone here should know how annoying and weak those mortals are! They come to you begging for selfish things every other day!” 

“-Yes, I do.” The god replied calmly. “-And that’s exactly why I know a very few of them aren’t all that bad.” They paused, turning away from the other. “-...Most of them definitely are, though.” 

“-For someone who wanted to get this over with, you surely are making us waste time by asking questions about the mortals, Ananas…” A final voice in the room finally made themselves known. Fire Spirit, who has been boringly staring at the ground while the other Gods talked among themselves, couldn’t help the shiver up his spine when he heard said voice. Biting his lip, Fire Spirit stared up, to see The Red God of Fire and Brimstone, Pitaya, staring right back at him, scowl clear on their face.

“-Oh SHUT UP!” Ananas angrily hissed at the other direction. “-Like YOU have anything to say about it! You patronize with those mortals just as much as Blue does! At least they have a reason to, you?! Absolutely NOT!”

Pitaya rolled their eyes, leaning on their throne, resting their head on one of their hands. “-I simply find them… Interesting.” They shrugged. “-Such weak and breakable little things, still surviving against all odds? You can’t deny it isn’t curious how they manage to stay alive. I mean...” They turned to stare at the other, fanged smirk on their face. “-A little bird told me YOU seem to have been rather curious about some mortals who have been keeping your temple in the mortal realm tidy~” 

“-SHUT. UP!!” The golden god shouted angrily, hands slamming on the sides of their throne, making the whole place shake slightly. The ones on the thrones barely felt the tremor, but Fire Spirit had to quickly use his staff to balance himself so he wouldn’t fall face first.    
“-Don’t you DARE try to put me in the same place as YOU. If I haven’t killed those mortals yet, is because they are doing a decent enough job! I’m not wasting my time on them!” They continued, angrily baring their fangs, scowl on their face. The place continued to shake slightly.  


Pitaya just rolled their eyes at the other, letting out a small chuckle, which annoyed the other even more. “-Whatever you want to believe in, Gold.”

“-YOU--” Ananas was about to reply, but was interrupted by another shout finally silencing both gods.

“-ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!” Ivory shouted, raising their voice for the first time since Fire Spirit had arrived. “-If you two want to, once again, make us lose time with those STUPID fights of yours, you are free to take it outside! I for once would like to get this done soon.” They stared at both, Ananas and Pitaya, growling slightly. Violet letting out a quiet giggle from their throne, while Blue just closed their eyes, shaking their head in annoyance. “-Pitaya, this whole deal is mainly on you, Fire Spirit is under YOUR creation. So stop pulling Ananas tail so we can get this done with.”

Pitaya let out a huff, crossing their arms and sinking into their throne. “-Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

“-And Ananas.” Ivory continued, turning to the other. “-For stars sake, STOP making the whole temple shake. If ANYTHING else breaks because of it, I AM having you rebuild it yourself!” 

Ananas let out a growl, slowly the place stopped shaking. Finally they sank down onto their throne as well. 

Ivory took a deep breath. “-Now… Fire Spirit.” They, alongside the other Gods, turned their attentions to the figure in the centre of the room. “-Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

Fire Spirit gulped, trying his best to not let his anxiety show. “-Uuh... Yeah, sure.” 

“-So, Fire Spirit…” Blue began talking, voice calm. “-Did you came to let us known you have completed the first part of your trial?” 

“-Y-Yeah. I did!” Fire Spirit spoke, a fake confident smile on his face. “-I went to the village, got a human, and now he is in my place. All we gotta do is wait for the right time now, right?” He asked, looking between the Gods. 

“-Hehe, maybe.” The creepy voice of Violet was heard. “-IF the big mistake you already made don't interfere with the plan~” They said, still laying down on their throne.

“-My… What?” Fire Spirit stared at them, confusion clear in his voice. Mistake? What do they mean by that? What mistake could he possibly have made?! He literally just took the guy and brought him to his place, WHERE could he have messed up?

“-The MISTAKE…” Pitaya annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts, hands on their forehead in frustration. “-Of letting the mortals TRICK you. THAT mistake!” They hissed, cold angry gaze fixed on Fire Spirit. 

“-...Trick… Me…?” Fire Spirit continued to stare, still not understanding. The mortals tricked him? How?! “-I Don’t-- What you mean, the mortals tricked me?!” 

“-Do me a favour, and TRY to remember the instructions I gave you about this whole deal, and repeat them, alright?!” Pitaya closed their eyes, leaning forward in their throne, waiting for Fire Spirit to speak.

“-Uuh…” Fire Spirit gulped, taking a breath, before he spoke. “-You told me to go to that village in the middle of the forest, demand the chief’s heir, bring them back, and then wait for the right time where you guys would give the further details?” He asked, head turning slightly in confusion, while staring at Pitaya.

“-Yes.” The Red god let out an annoyed huff. “-I told you to go after the village HEIR. The mortal you have?! That’s NOT them.” 

“-... What…?” Fire Spirit stood there, mouth agape, in shock. It… Knight WASN’T the heir? Did-- Did they REALLY trick him?! and worse, did he FELL for it?! He stood, staring at the floor, mouth still open.    
“-...So…” He whispered, barely being able to be heard by the other gods. “-... Did I already mess up…? WHAT am I supposed to do with the guy I have at my place now?!” He asked, he really hoped they couldn’t note the desperation in his voice. 

“-You keep him.” Ivory voice broke Fire Spirit panic. “-Yes, you messed up and allowed the mortals to trick you. But lucky for you, the mortal you got is actually still one you can use in the ceremony.” They stared at the other, face blank. “-You will just need to change the process slightly.”

“-W-wait… Really?” Fire Spirit asked, breathing fast. “-He… Can we really use him?”

“-Yes.” Blue calm voice replied. “-Apparently, he definitely isn’t the place heir, whoever, he was their most skilled warrior. The blood ceremony demands a mortal sacrifice of great value, while picking an important heir of a ruler is the easiest way, getting someone who is incredibly skilled and valuable in other aspects to the village, works as well.” They squint their eyes, looking down at Fire Spirit. “-You were lucky. VERY lucky. Even surprised me.” 

“-O-oh…” Fire Spirit breathed in, holding his staff close to himself. It was fine. He could still do it, he could still prove and show them that--

“-Whoever...” Ivory speaking broke Fire Spirit inner thoughts. “-Like I said, you will need to change a few things.” 

Fire Spirit brought his attention back to the other. “-Change? What… What changes?” 

“-You will need to earn the guy trust.” Ananas hissed in annoyance. “-Get close to him.”

He stared at the golden god, get… Get close to him? But why? As if they could read the clear confusion on his face, Violet decided to speak the reasoning behind it. 

“-Is so they can suffer of heartbreak right before they are killed~” Violet replied, dangerous smirk on their face. “-You get close to them, and then stab them in the back. THAT makes the whole deal WAY more powerful.”

“-Indeed.” Ivory continued. “-While with an heir, you would only need to hold them until the time was right, in this case, you need to have the mortal emotionally get attached to you, create a bond.” 

“-I…” Fire Spirit bit his lips, fists clenching around his staff that was safely close to his body. “-...How… How am I supposed to get close to the guy?” He asked, gazing up at the others.

Pitaya sudden growl in annoyance was enough to make the other fire god jump slightly. “-Do you SERIOUSLY need us to tell you EVERYTHING, Fire Spirit?!” They stared at the other with a scowl, flames dancing slightly around their arms. “-You are trying to prove yourself so you can FINALLY ascend into a proper God status, and yet you keep asking how to do everything?!” They stared at the other, angry look on their eyes for a second, before letting out a breath, attempting to calm themselves down.   
“-Look.” They leaned down onto their throne, eyes closed. “-You have 12 days until the time for the ceremony is perfect. If you REALLY want to go through with this, figure it out. Consider this part of your trial.” They opened their eyes, squinting them while staring at the other. 

Fire Spirit stared at the Red god, he could feel himself sweating, swallowing an invisible lump in his throat, he took a deep breath before turning his whole body away from the other gods. He was more than ready to just leave. “-Yeah. Right. I… I’ll figure it out.” His voice was shaking slightly, back still turned to the other Gods. 

“-Good.” Pitaya spoke between a huff. “-Remember… Get close to the guy, have him trust you, and then, when you finally kill him in the Blood ceremony, you will have proven your worth to finally ascend from Demigod, to a Full God status.” The Red god spoke, voice serious.

“-IF he can do it~” Violet annoying voice sang, creepy smile on their face. 

“-Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” Fire Spirit replied coldly, he could feel his voice and hands shaking slightly while holding onto his staff. “-...I’ll just go then. Better start this whole deal soon.” He began to make his way out of the room, through the long corridor.

“-Yes, indeed.” Ivory spoke, head nodding in agreement. “-The sooner you began, the sooner you might get his trust.” They stared alongside the other gods, at the figure leaving the room. 

Fire Spirit had paused for a second, debating on whether or not give the other a final reply. He eventually decided against it, not trusting his own voice anymore. Quietly, he just continued his way towards the exit, more than ready to leave, with the whispers of the Gods behind him hunting the back of his mind.

Once outside, the doors closed behind him with a loud “thump”, Fire Spirit should just teleport back home, he wanted to, but he kept himself in place, hands shaking in anger and frustration, he could feel small angry tears beginning to make their way to his eyes, breathing getting fast.   
Finally, in a burst of anger, Fire Spirit let out a growl, raising his staff, throwing a fireball at a nearby pillar, destroying it completely. The pieces of marble just falling loosely on the ground. He couldn’t care less if that made the others mad, HE had the right to be angry right now. 

He would show them. He would show ALL of them that he was just as important as they were. 

He would show them he was worthy of being called a God, not just a Demigod.

He would show them he could do something simple as killing a mortal.

After all, how hard could it be, right…?

With those final thoughts, the other finally bursted into flames, reading back home.

* * *

Knight woke up gasping, sitting on the bed trying to calm his breath. He barely could remember the nightmare he just had, he just remembers the heat. Dangerous and horrible fire all around him, feeling like his own skin was melting from the heat. Shaking his head, he decided he definitely wouldn’t try to go and sleep anymore, truth be told, he didn’t even plan on sleeping, he just hoped to take a quick nap, but he supposed he was more tired than he gave himself credit, and sure, maybe the soft mattress of the double bed combined with the fact he didn’t get a proper night of sleep in a while might have helped.   
Sighing, the blond got up, turning the lamp on the nightstand, before walking in front of a mirror nearby and tidying up his outfit, scowling slightly at it. Red DEFINITELY wasn’t his color, not those shades of red, anyway. Still, he figured he would need to get used to them, he didn’t understand the need to use different set of clothes, but he wouldn’t think much about it. At least they were comfortable enough to sleep in. 

Deciding he would rather do anything other than go back to sleep, Knight decided maybe he should take a look around the place. Fire Spirit did give him an okay to do so, right? As long as he stays out of the other room, which Knight was sure he could do no problem. 

Quietly making his way out of the room, Knight opened the door, taking a look around the corridor, as he expected, it was completely empty, the torches around the walls being the only illumination around the place. Walking down, Knight just took a look around, the various banners hanging from the walls, the small pieces of furniture here and there, it honestly would have felt like a normal castle, have it not been the fact a voice on the back of Knight’s head kept reminding him that he was in a GOD’s castle, in the GODS REALM.   
Biting his lips, Knight tried to not focus on that, not now when the heat from the nightmare still was clear in his mind. Making his way to the staircase leading downstairs, he decided he would just avoid the south wing area completely, just in case he couldn’t tell which room was the God’s room. Maybe he should just go outside, that felt like a safer idea. Nodding to himself, he made his way outside.

To deep into his own head and thoughts to notice the small footsteps and whispers following him.

* * *

Finding himself outside, Knight couldn’t help but be awestruck. The place was beautiful, he couldn’t deny that. The moon high in the sky and the lava fountains being the only source of light around, Knight found himself crouched down and staring at the different type of flowers around. 

  
Yup. He still had NO IDEA what any of them were. Apart from the red roses nearby.  
Where they even normal plants though? He WAS in the world of Gods. Those could just be some weird type of flowers never seen by mortals before.  
Or Knight could just be awful at naming flowers, that was also a viable option. 

Sighing and getting up, he continue to look around, walking down a stone path, he took a minute to stare down at one of the bigger lava fountains around the area nervously. Fire Spirit DID say they SHOULDN’T hurt him… right? But then again, he wasn’t sure just how much he could trust the God word. 

Speaking of, the God would probably be returning soon, Knight probably should go back inside. He was about to make his way back down the path, when we could have swore he heard the snap of a stick behind him.

Followed by a small whispering voice he was sure he had heard before.

_ “-Ouch! Watch the tail, idiot!” _ An angry voice whispered.

_ “-Sorry!” _ Another rushed whisper.  _ “-You just stopped out of nowhere, though! I didn’t even see it!”  _

_ “-Yeah, sure.” _ An angry huff. _ “-I stopped because the guy stopped! You were suppose to be paying attention to that!”  _

_ "- I’m sorry! I was just wondering about him! Do you think he liked the flowers?” _ The high voice whispered in excitement. 

_ “-Who cares?! We are here to watch the guy and know his deal!” _ A small angry hiss. 

_ “-...Wouldn’t watching him eventually lead us to knowing what his deal is?” _ The voice asked, confusion clear on their whispers. 

Knight heard nothing for a few seconds, before an angry hushed “SHUT UP!” was heard. Staring at the hedge he was sure he could hear the voices from, he had to make a decision. Should he try to talk with whoever those were? There is no way they were humans like him, right? What… Would they be though? They sounded pretty young, but could he really trust that? What if that was some sort of trick?    
He took in a breath. This curiosity of him would get him killed one day. Perhaps against his better judgement, Knight decided to open his mouth and talk to whoever was clearly following him. 

“-U-uhm… Hello…?” He asked, voice low, head turning to see if he could have a better view of who was there. “-Is... Is anyone there?” Knight was nervous. He could feel himself sweating.

There was a silence for a few minutes, Knight was almost thinking of giving up and just going back to him room, before the voices began whispering among themselves again. 

_ “-...Oh no, you think he heard us?” _ The first high voice whispered.

_ “-What do you think?!”  _ The second one replied in annoyance.  _ “-That’s all your fault, Angel! I told you, you were making too much noise!”  _

_ “-Me?! You were the one complaining about your tail!”  _ The first voice whispered back, frustration clear on their tone.

_ “-How about I step on YOUR tail, and then you can see if you can be quiet while I do it!” _ Replied the other, hissing in anger.

_ “-No! Don’t you dare! Sorry, I know it hurts, I just don’t think is fair putting the blame all on me!” _

_ “-Well whatever!” _ Another annoyed huff.  _ “-The guy clearly knows we are here. What do we do?!” _

_ “-I don’t know!” _ Replied the first voice in a hurry. There was a small pause after that, before they spoke again. _ “-Oooh stars… Fire Spirit is gonna get mad at us…”  _

  
  


“-Um…” Knight decided to finally attempt to speak again. “-L-look...It’s okay. I’m not… Gonna hurt you two…?” The blond continued, he honestly had no idea what to expect from the small voices anymore, they didn’t SOUND dangerous, so he deduced it was worth a shot talking to them.

_ “-Pff. Well duh, of course you won’t. Do you think a weak mortal like you could do anything against us?!” _ Replied the second voice, chuckling slightly at the end.

_ “-Devil! Don’t be rude!” _ Scolded the first voice.  _ “-He’s trying to be nice!” _

_ “-So?! I’m trying to NOT be nice!”  _

Knight continued to stare, not sure what to do, should he just go back, he was way too curious about those two figures though… Sighing, the blond finally decided to sit down into the ground, legs crossed.    
“-Look… I’m just trying to understand who are you two.” He began to speak, voice calm. “-If you are worried about Fire Spirit, we can just… Tell him I’m the one who found you two. That it was all my fault. How about that?” Knight finished, sincere smile on his face, while staring at the leafy hedge, waiting for some being to pop out of it.

There was another pause, the voices were whispering between themselves, too fast for Knight to pick anything.   
And then, suddenly, two small forms stepped out between the leaves. 

The first small figure had gold curls on the top of their head, round blue eyes, with a golden sideways pupil like one of a goat, strange wand on their hand, and most importantly, small fluffy feathered wings and a tail on their back. They had a happy smile on their face.   
The second had red skin, horns poking out from their dark hair, darker red goat legs and golden eyes with sideway pupils as well, that were stuck in a scowl while staring at Knight. Small bat wings on their back, and a tail angrily swinging from side to side, while holding what seemed like a small trident in their hands. 

Knight stood there, shocked, while looking at the small beings. He guesses he should have expected them to not be human looking, but still, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but definitely wasn’t this. Still, they looked small, literally children, so he deduced that they were no danger for him. Clearing his throat, he putted back a friendly smile before continuing to speak.

“-Uuh… Hi there. I’m… I’m Knight.” He began speaking, trying his best to sound friendly.

The child with horns continued to stare at him with a scowl, they let out a huff before turning their head away from the other gaze with a smirk.. “-Pff, We aren’t telling you our names, human! You don’t deserve to kno--”

“-Hi! I’m Angel!” The golden child interrupted. “-And this is Devil!” Angel said, pointing at themselves and then at the other figure behind them.

“-......” Devil stood there quiet with their mouth hanging open for a second, before finally, angrily turning towards Angel, their tail swinging in irritation. “-ANGEL, WHAT THE HECK?! WHY DID YOU TELL HIM OUR NAMES?!”

“-Because he told us his!” Angel puffed their cheeks while crossing their arms. “-It’s called being polite, you should try sometime!” They squinted at the other.

“-Are you KIDDING me?!” Devil replied frustrated, hands messing with their own hair. 

Knight continued to stare at them. They… really were something. He wasn’t sure what though. Were they also Gods? Small gods maybe? Could… Gods just be children? They looked like children, kinda acted like children too.    
“-It’s… It’s okay, I was just curious to know if I was hearing something, or maybe going crazy that fast. “He let out a chuckle, left hand scratching behind his neck. “-Glad to know there was someone.”

“-Oh yeah! We know you have been here since you arrived!” Angel turned to Knight, excited smile on their face. “-We wanted to talk to you as soon as you arrived, But Fire Spirit told us to give you space for a while, so you could get used to the place!” 

“-Oh, I see…” Knight replied, voice low. “-So, the breaking noise I heard was you two?” He asked the small child.

“-Yup!” Angel replied happily. “-We were shocked to suddenly feel a mortal presence in the castle, which made us accidentally drop a vase…” They turned their gaze to the ground, a guilty look on their face. “-But it’s fine! I don’t think Fire Spirit was mad! He cleaned it really fast and told us to stay out of your way for a while!” 

“-I see…” The blond whispered, continuing to stare at the small figures. He couldn’t deny how curious he was about them, questions if they were some type of Gods still in his mind, risking his luck, he decided to just get over with it and ask them directly.   
“-Say… If you don’t mind me asking, are… Are you two Gods as well?” 

Devil looked at the male, a fanged smirk on their face, they turned back to Knight and were about to reply.   
“-Why, Yes! We ar--”

But then they got interrupted by Angel again.

“-Oh stars, No!” Angel replied happily, Making Devil let out a frustrated hiss before they began to stomp with their little goat legs on the ground, Angel paid them no mind as they continued. “-We’re Minor Spirits!”

“-Minor… Spirits?” Knight turned his head in confusion, honestly never have heard of anything like that.

“-Yup!” Angel continued. “-We are under the demigods in the hierarchy! We’re basically… A God’s eyes and ears in the mortal realm!” 

“-A God’s eyes and ears? How does that work?” Knight continued asking. “-...Sorry about all the questions… I’m just, curious. I guess.” He replied shyly. 

“-It’s okay!” The golden child gave him a reassuring smile. “-You have been throw into the Gods realm! Of course you have questions!” 

“-Uuh yeah, I guess so…” He let out a chuckle, appreciating the child understanding his situation.

“-And to answer your questions, Minor Spirits are the Gods eyes and ears, because like them, we can travel to the mortals realm, but different from them, you mortals cannot see us there!” Their tail moved around happily. “-So, they usually have us to keep an eye on your mortals and report back to them! We also can just do some small blessings and what not if they tell us to!”

“-Yeah, if you wanna be BORING like that!” Devil finally spoke, arms crossed. “-If you are cool, you actually go and cause mischief instead!” They turned at Angel with a toothy grin. “-If you guys mess up and annoy them, the Gods just send us to make your guys life a nightmare!” They stared at Knight, grin never leaving their face. 

Angel pouted. “-Well, yeah. Part of Minor Spirits are there to fulfill a God’s more… Dark requests.” They rolled their eyes. “-BUT the bigger part is good!” 

“-And booooring!” Devil replied rolling their eyes as well. 

“-Devil!” Angel continued to pout, angry glare at the other, who began to giggle, bats wings flapping and slightly taking them out of the ground.

Knight stared at the two, and couldn’t help but giggle slightly as well. The way they acted around each other definitely reminded him of most siblings relationships he had seen around the village. Although Angel answered some of his questions, the truth is, their answers just left him with new questions…

Minor Spirits? Demigods? Knight never imagined there were so many...categories for the Gods. Angel mentioned a hierarchy… What did THAT mean? Was there a ruling system of sorts among the gods as well? Knight always thought they could just do whatever they wanted as long as it didn’t intervene with one another. He sighed, guess even with all those forced studies, there was still a lot he didn’t know.

But for now, he just continued to happily talk with the two small figures.

Not noticing the fiery red eyes staring at him from behind one of the fountains further back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't things getting N I C E ? ! :3c
> 
> Also in case it wasn't clear, the five Gods in the beginning of the chapter are the Five Dragons, Ananas and Pitaya are obvious, but since we don't have a canon confirmation on what the other dragon names are, they will all be referred with their color names given by Mango Cookie in the story :o  
> Oh and im definitely not writting Pitaya's long 'sss' because that gets way too annoying way to fast adklasjdak  
> and i mean, they aren't exactly a "dragon" in this AU, not fully anyway, so I think that can get a pass lmao


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have nothing to say here  
> other than once more thanks everyone for the support :'D
> 
> so yeah  
> thanks for all the nice comments and what not <3

Fire Spirit really didn’t mean to eavesdrop when he appeared back in his place. I mean come on, this is HIS place! He’s free to do as he pleases! If he wants to see how the human he brought here and his two little rascals interact, that’s totally acceptable.

And yes, that includes hiding behind a fountain in hopes to not be seen, thank you. 

Ok, fine. Maybe it was weird. Creepily staring at the guy probably isn’t the best way to start the whole “getting close to him” deal, but then again, the fire god had no idea WHERE to even start with this whole thing.   
Sighing, he slid down, back against the fountain, holding his staff close to his body, that whole meeting was a mess. He didn’t expect it to be totally perfect (It never is) But he didn’t expect it to go THAT bad. He was tricked. He still can’t believe it, those humans managed to trick him into bringing someone that wasn’t who he demanded with him. He frowned, staring back at the other three figures a few feet away from the corner of his head, eyes laying on the mortal among them, he wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of the guy here and there, pushing him against the wall until he begged for mercy and confessed what he and the others in that stupid little village did. But alas, he was still useful, so Fire Spirit deduced it wasn’t a necessary action. 

Even if the whole process he needed to do just got stupidly more difficult. 

He didn’t want THIS! He was told he only had to bring the human, keep them here until it was time for the ceremony, and then get rid of them and he finally would have his wish come true! But now he had to get close to the guy? Become friends of sort?! Fire Spirit wasn’t good at THAT! He had no idea how to even start! As sad as it is, he honestly doesn’t have that much friends. Angel and Devil are probably the closest beings to him, and he didn’t really needed to do anything, other than pretty much convince Pitaya to not get rid of the “failure of minor spirits” as the other put them as.   
Fire Spirit frowned again, gaze turning towards the two small spirits. He didn’t like to remember what the Red God usually calls them. I mean come on, they are just young, surely they would grow to be useful Minor Spirits! And even if they didn’t have the same power as normal minor spirits did, they looked just as fine for him.   
The fire god couldn’t help but smile at the two tactics around the mortal. Devil being their usual trickster self, while Angel tried their best to control them, it didn’t look like it was working, but on the other hand, Knight didn’t seemed to mind all that much either. 

His gaze turned back to the mortal, unhappy smile back on his face. He had tricked him, he had nearly costed his dream, and now he had to get close to him. HOW would he do it, when part of him honestly felt like burning the guy to a crisp just for what he did?!

Bringing his knees close to his body and laying his head on it, Fire Spirit let out a long breath, this was going to be way more difficult. Should he ask for help? Then again, he kinda did, and Red’s words about it are still burning in his mind, there was no way any of the other Gods in the meeting would help him after what the Red god said.   
What about the others though? Fire Spirit lift up his head, staring at the night sky. Moonlight could help… Maybe. He doubted it though, the night God was very loved, but way to hard to reach and talk with. Sea Fairy? DEFINITELY not. Not only was she a loner by nature, she definitely wasn’t someone Fire Spirit liked to be around for too long, nothing wrong with her per say, but you know… The fact she could badly hurt him with a wave of her hand was something he knew very well. And on top of all, she was probably as hard to reach as her other half, the moon.  
That left Millennial Tree and Wind Archer, the only other Demigod Fire Spirit knew of. Yeah, no. They definitely weren’t good options either. As much as he wouldn’t mind pestering the other demigod just for the fun of it, he would be no help in his current situation, he was probably even more of a loner than Sea Fairy. 

Also he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot Fire Spirit away from the area around Millennial Tree Sanctuary as soon as he noticed him there. He still is mad about the fires he had caused around it. 

And Millennial Tree himself… He honestly WOULD be able to help him, but he clearly would know why he was asking for help to begin with, having known what he was doing from the start, and just like Ivory had said, wanting nothing to do with it. Maybe if it was a genuine question, he would help, but definitely NOT when the whole reason behind it was to get close to someone so he could “backstab” them later. 

Fire Spirit sighed in annoyance, he truly was on this on his own. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a crashing and sounds of sticks breaking and leaves flying off.   
Jumping slightly in surprise, he quickly turned back to stare at the trio nearby, just WHAT could have happened now?! Quickly looking around, his gaze finally landed on a worried Knight, and perhaps even more worried Angel, staring at one of the nearby tall hedges, from where Fire Spirit was sure he could see little goat hooves and a tail desperately moving out of it, in an attempt to free themselves. 

Fire blinked at the scene for a few seconds. Ah. That’s what happened. Devil.   
He let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head slightly, he honestly shouldn’t be surprised by those two rascals tactics by this point, Devil was known to end up in quite the situations from time to time due to their trickster nature. Leaving a very freaked out Angel around. 

And okay, maybe it freaked Fire Spirit out as well the first time the little spirit fell face first into one of his lava fountains, since he had no idea if, like him, they were fireproof. Luckly, they were perfectly fine, a little dizzy and with a small bump on their forehead for hitting the bottom of the fountain, but definitely not deadly burned, leaving the God to believe that they WERE indeed fireproof.

Fire Spirit had all the fountains in his place be magically enchanted to not burn anything or anyone just in case, though. 

He paused, continuing to stare at Knight attempting to help a very frustrated Devil, who kept shouting that “they didn’t need help from a stupid mortal”, which perhaps to no one surprise, didn’t make the blond back off at all, still figuring his way around the other kicking so he could properly help them. Angel could be heard too, trying to calm down Devil saying Knight just wanted to help.   
Finally, after a few minutes, Fire Spirit could see the free form of Devil, clothes a total mess with a bunch of leaves and twigs sticking out of their hair, and still hissing in anger in their position, being held by under their armpits by the human, attempting to hit the one who saved them with their little trident, despite that, Knight continued to held onto them, determined expression in his face, until they were safely in solid ground again. 

Angel seemed incredibly thankful for his help, however, if the young one happily hugging Knight leg before jumping to help Devil clean some of the mess in their hair was any indication. 

Knight, on his end, just had a content smile on his face, hand massaging the area in his head that had been repeatedly hit by the devious spirit. That probably hurted, Fire Spirit thought to himself, Devil didn’t have that much strength in the Gods realm, but getting hit with that little trident of them still could leave a mark. 

And yet, the guys didn’t back up once until they were safely on the ground…  
Huh. 

Fire Spirit hummed to himself, before finally getting up from behind the fountain and slowly making his way towards the trio. Figuring he definitely wouldn’t get anything done by just standing here watching the guy interact with Angel and Devil. Don’t get him wrong, he still had no idea what to do to get close to the blond, but he figured maybe just getting to actually know him first would be a good start, right? 

Well, it was better than nothing, at least. 

* * *

Knight continued to stare at the two little beings in front of them, smile still on his face. His head hurt. Devil certainly knew how to pack a punch… Or well, a trident, he supposed. Still, it was nothing, he had gone through worse in his years training and being a guard back at the village, he could survive a little headache for a few days.

Since he doubted he would be able to get a bag of ice or anything like that, any time soon.  
  


He continued to watch Angel picking twigs and leaves from the other hair, who on their side, continued to attempt to slap Angel hands away, frowning in anger.

It honestly looked way less threatening than the young spirit probably hoped it did.   
  


Chuckling slightly to himself, Knight was glad to know the little spirits weren’t all that bad, not truly at least. Angel truly seemed nice, and cared a lot about everything and everyone, including Devil, who clearly acted way more “evil” than they actually were. Knight still had no idea why they were here, all hints pointed that they lived with the fire god, but in their conversation, the question of “why” never really appeared. Just what were them to the god? Were them his own “Minor Spirits”? They honestly looked so young though, but the blond had to remind himself that appearances could be deceiving, and considering this was the Gods realm he was currently in, those two were probably way older than he was. 

Gazing back at the two small beings, it seemed Devil was completely leaves and twigs free. Their tail still was swinging in irritation while looking at Angel, who seemed to just be happy they were able to help the other. Knight honestly wouldn’t mind talking with them more, but he knew he should be returning to the castle soon, before the God came back. He was about to catch their attention to tell them as much, but the well known voice of the God in question interrupted him. 

“-My, My. I see you guys just went and did all the introductions without me, hmm?” Knight jumped, head turning to stare at the God face, which had that stupid smirk Knight was sure it was his default expression at this point. From the corner of his eye, the human could see Angel and Devil jumping slightly in surprise as well. 

“-Ah! Fire Spirit!” Angel happy voice broke the silence, quickly running to the God side and hugging his leg. “-You’re back!” 

“-I sure am, little plume!” Fire Spirit replied, his smirk looked more like a genuine smile, before he patted the one hugging his leg on the head. “-Aaand, I see you two have gone and meet our new guest, huh~?” He asked, sly smirk back in his face while looking at Angel. 

Angel little wings flapped nervously, Knight could heard Devil let out a small “eep” from behind him. 

“-Ah… Yes, we did, But--” Angel began to speak, looking up at the god’s face, before they were interrupted by Devil quite literally jumping in front of Fire Spirit, bat wings flapping keeping themselves in the air in front of the God.

“-It was Angel idea!!” Devil shouted. “-They wanted to meet the human! I told them to wait for your ok, but they didn’t listen!” They continued, pointing an accusing finger at the other still holding onto Fire Spirit left leg.

“-WHAT?!” Angel shouted back, incredulous look on their face while looking at the other. “-That’s not true! You wanted to meet him just as much as I did!” They puffed their cheeks, crossing their arms, tail swinging in frustration.

“-HAH! Why would I want to meet a weak little human?” Devil crossed their own arms, stopping to fly and instead standing near Fire Spirit other leg. 

“-Because you actually never meet a mortal, and wanted to know what their deal was?!” Angel replied back, own accusing finger pointing at Devil. 

Devil let out a gasp. “-That’s not--”

The next sentences were impossible to be heard, as both spirits were talking at the same time. 

  
Knight stared at the whole scene in front of him, nervous. He took a quick glance at the God hoping to be able to tell just what he would do to the two little spirits, maybe it was stupid to be worried about someone he just meet, but Knight honestly couldn’t help it, alright? They both acted and seemed young, it was in Knight’s nature as a guard to be worried about them, them being immortal didn’t matter at all. 

However, when his eyes fell on the god’s face, he was surprised to just see the other smiling, one hand on his hip, while the other was holding his staff. Knight couldn’t feel a single trace of anger or anything alike in his face. 

His thoughts were interrupted when the God just bursted out laughing. 

“-Pfff ok, ok. Enough, you two...” He kneeled down to be at the two line of sight. “-I was just messing around. I was sure you two would end up meeting him sooner than later, I’m not mad~” 

“-Really?” Angel small voice asked.

“-Yup~!” He gently petted the other head again. “-I just hope they weren’t too much for you to handle, buttercup.” He said, smirk back on his face and voice slightly louder for Knight to hear, who once again had jumped slightly, not expecting the other to suddenly turn his attention to him. 

“-What? Oh…!” Knight, who was caught by surprise, just stared at the God. “-N-no, they were fine.” He let out a small chuckle, nervous smile on his face. 

“-Hmm…” Fire Spirit kept staring at the blond, intensely. Knight could feel himself sweating from the other red gaze on him, what else did he wanted him to say?! “-Alright.” The God suddenly broke his stare, closing his eyes with a content smirk on his face, before getting up from his previous position, straightening his back and sweeping dirt from his knees. 

“-Kinda didn’t expect you to be still awake, to be honest…” He turned to once again look at Knight. “-Do you know how late it currently is? I thought your mortals needed to sleep." Confusion was clear on his face while he stared at the human. 

“-Uuh…” Knight stared at the ground, fidgeting with his hands. “-I can’t say I know what time it is, to be honest…” He sighed. “-Truth is, yes, we do need to sleep but…” Knight paused, thinking about his next words. He didn’t feel close enough to tell the guy what had troubled him, specially considering the nightmare he had was filled with flames. “-I guess I just had a hard time getting used to a new bed.” He lied, that bed was definitely WAY more comfortable than his one back in the village ever was. “-So I just… Decided to take a look around the garden since I couldn’t sleep. That’s when I ran into those two.” He looked back at Angel and Devil, small smile making its way to his face, which Angel happily smiled back, while Devil continued to frown, before blowing a raspberry at Knight’s direction, small forked tongue showing. 

“-Huh, guess that makes sense…” Fire Spirit pondered, hand on his chin. “-Still, is way too late to be wandering around outside, you should definitely get back inside. Who knows what might be lurking around here hmmm~?” He continued, sly smirk on his face, while staring at Knight. 

“-Y-yeah, I know…” Knight sighed. “-I was actually planning on going back, but then you appeared so…” 

“-Aaaw, were you waiting for me, buttercup?” The God interrupted the other, fanged smirk on his face, letting out a wink at the other direction. “-How sweet of you~”

“-W-What?!” Knight could feel himself blushing slightly. “-N-No! I just--”  
_Hoped I wouldn’t need to run into you again._  
That’s what Knight was thinking, but he caught himself up before saying anything like that in front of the God who could very much kill him at any given second if he felt like.

“-Ugh, I don’t know. I couldn’t sleep, so I went to look around. You told me I could, didn’t you?” He glared at the other, crossing his arms, small blush still on his face. 

The god let out a laugh. “-Hehe, sure. I’ll believe that.” He replied, hint of sarcasm clear on his voice that had Knight glaring at him even more. “-And yeah, I told you were fine to look around, just didn’t expect you to still be awake by the time I came back, I guess.” He shrugged. “-Still, we should get inside. All of us.” Fire Spirit took a quick glance between Angel and Devil. “-Want to stay awake and explore, you can do it inside the castle, i’m sure at least one of those two would be happy to give you a tour.”

“-Ooooh yes, yes!” Angel replied, tail wagging happily. “-We’ll be happy to show you around the place, Mr. Knight!” They looked at the blond, happy smile on their face. 

“-We?!” Devil asked in annoyance. “-Don’t pull me into this!” 

“-Awn, c’mon Devy! It’s gonna be fun!” They held onto the other shoulder. “-We can show him our favorite places around the castle!”

“-Let me go!” They hissed, wings flapping in an attempt to get away from the other. “-And don’t call me that!” 

“-Come ooon, Pleeeease?” They continued to hold onto their cape, pleading look on their face. 

“-NO!” Devil shouted, trying to pull their cape from Angel’s grip. 

Angel puffed their cheeks, still staring at the other, before putting on a smile and speaking again. “-You know… If he knew his way around the castle, it mean he would walk around it more. Which means you would have ways to prank him…” They said, finally letting go of the other cape, crossing their arms and turning their back to them.  
  
Devil paused. Hands holding onto their cape and wings still flapping, staring at Angel.  
“-... Ok fine, I’ll help show the guy around. BUT just for the sake of prank possibilities!” They huffed, puffing their own cheeks and turning their back to the other as well. 

Knight, who had just stared at the whole thing couldn’t help the small laugh he let out. Those two really were something. Looking back at the God for a second, he could see him also smiling lightly at their tactics, clearly used to it by now.   
“-I… Appreciate you two willing to help, really.” Knight began, speaking to get the small ones attention, smile on his face. “-And while I would gladly take it, I think for tonight, i’ll just go back to my room and attempt to sleep again.” The blond said honestly, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to sleep, but he decided laying in bed was better than anything at this point. 

“-Aaawn…” Angel pouted. “-You sure? The sooner we show around, the sooner you will be able to explore on your own…”

“-You heard the guy, little plume.” Fire Spirit replied in Knight’s place. “-It IS late, and mortals need to sleep, you know that.” He patted the little spirit on their head. 

“-Yeah I know…” They continued to pout. 

“-You can show me around first thing in the morning though, how about it?” Knight smiled at Angel. 

“-Correction.” Fire Spirit interrupted, finger rising. “-SECOND thing in the morning. Don’t think I’m letting you walk around without having some food on you, buttercup~” He smirked at the other direction. 

“-O-oh. Right.” He turned his gaze from the God, clearing his throat. Honestly, part of him was… Suspicious by the god actions still. First a comfy bed, now he was clearly going to feed him? He wishes he could just get some concrete answers to his questions. “-Second thing in the morning.” 

“-Hmm Okay!” Angel replied happily, tail swinging. “-As soon as you are done eating, we’ll show you around!” 

“-Sounds good to me.” Knight let out a small laugh, genuine smile on his face while staring at the small spirit. 

  
  


Fire Spirit couldn’t help but stare at the human smiling face as well. He hadn’t seen him genuinely smiling yet…

...Why did his face suddenly felt warmer than normal?

  
Shaking his head in an attempt to get rid of those thoughts, Fire Spirit cleared his throat to get the others attention.  
“-WELL. It’s settled then!” He clapped his hands. “-Let’s get going then, yeah?” He began to gently push the small spirits in the direction of the castle, who quietly began to make their way towards it. “-You too, blondie. Let’s go.” The God looked back at Knight, hand on his hip, waiting for the other to start walking. 

“-Sure…” Knight gulped, beginning to walk down the path back towards the castle entrance.  
He could hear and see Angel and Devil happily talking while walking in front of him, well, Angel was happily talking while the other was hissing in frustration more than anything.  
He could also hear and feel Fire Spirit walking behind him. Quiet steps, and a comforting warmth radiating from him, yet, Knight could feel the other gaze almost burning at the back of his head. 

Biting his lip, Knight decided to focus on the way calmer beings in front of him until they reached the castle.

  
He REALLY could use just laying on the bed until the sun rises, or until he finally sleeps again, whatever happens first. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little slower than the past ones, but I honestly didn't have that much time to write, so it's the best I could do ksdhajkdh
> 
> Next chapter, things will get more interesting tho :o


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah im sorry for not uploading a new chapter earlier D: There was a thunderstorm in my area, that had all the electricity go out for basically the whole night. Which meant I literally couldn't write/upload anything :')
> 
> BUT ANYWAY! New chapter is finally here!  
> And also, I've been having some ideas for this whole AU... Read the end notes if you would be interested on it, it isn't anything fully decided yet but ya'know  
> just some random ideas i've been having adjkjad

Knight honestly didn’t mean to sleep for so long.   
He honestly NEVER slept in since he was a kid.  
But somehow, he did. Maybe it was the comfy bed and the fact he didn’t have any other terrifying nightmares afterwards combined with all the stress he was clearly going through by being in a whole different realm with someone who he still had no idea what their deal was, and could easily kill him at any giving second.

Angel and Devil were fine though. Knight honestly had enjoyed meeting them.

The male continued to lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. He should get up, he really should… He did promise to let Angel and Devil show him around the place in the morning after all. He took a glance towards a nearby window, sunlight coming between the partially closed curtains, Knight squinted, his inner clock was sure it should be way past 10AM, but then again, could he really trust it? This wasn’t home. This was the Gods world. Fire Spirit did say time went a little differently here, right? It was almost impossible for the human to tell what time it really was, specially since there wasn’t any clocks around his room.

He wondered for a second if he would be pushing his luck by requesting something like a clock to the fire god.   
Knight shook his head, maybe some other time. He didn’t felt like challenging destiny today. 

Sighing, the blond finally made his way out of bed, he pondered for a minute if he should take a quick shower and decided it was a good idea, he did walk outside on the dirt and all last night, also he could really use a new set of clothes.

Given, they would look exactly the same, but still, they would be clean.

Picking the new pair of the exact same clothes he has been wearing, Knight made his way towards the bathroom, hoping the shower would take away any remaining sleepiness off him, so he could finally go downstairs and face the other residents of the castle.

He really hoped the fire god wouldn’t be mad at him for missing the breakfast he talked about.

* * *

Fire Spirit definitely wasn’t mad.   
Why would he be? Just because he went ahead, managed to get food a mortal could actually eat, prepared what could honestly be seen as a feast for said mortal, just so said mortal actually wouldn’t wake up and eat it?!

...  
Ok, maybe he was A LITTLE frustrated, at best.

The god let out a huff, head resting in one of his hands, from his position sitting at the head of the table that had probably way more food than a single mortal could eat in a single go.   
Yeah sure, maybe it was “too much” but Fire Spirit honestly had no idea what else to do to start the whole “get close to the guy” deal. Friends were nice to each other, right? Did things like that for one another? Fire Spirit was honestly mainly guessing by this point. He figured he should start at just letting the guy be comfortable around the place… He did seem pretty comfortable last night around Angel and Devil, so it shouldn’t be difficult to have the guy trust him as well, right?

... Yeah Fire Spirit wasn’t really believing himself that much.   
But give him some credit here, he WAS trying his best.

Is why he had let Knight sleep for so long anyway. The guy definitely didn’t look like the type to sleep until late, specially if he was his village stronger and most skilled warrior, like Fire Spirit had been told.  
So for him to actually sleep in, Fire Spirit deduced the guy probably needed it, so when he went to his room, knocked (keeping his promise of respecting his privacy was probably a good way to get close to him, yeah?) and didn’t get a response for a few minutes, he went ahead and opened the door to find the mortal peacefully sleeping, calm expression on his face.

It was honestly the most calm Fire Spirit had seen Knight be so far. 

So yeah, Fire Spirit decided to just let the guy wake up on his on, shaking the guy and scaring him first thing in the morning probably wouldn’t put him in good terms with the other, anyway. 

That did mean the god had to keep the little spirits away from the room, though. 

Minor Spirit, just like Gods, didn’t really need to sleep, not always, anyway. They WOULD rarely sleep, as it was a efficient way for them to recharge their magical energies and what not, and since Angel and Devil were also pretty young minor spirits, sleeping was good for them anyway.  
Still, they would only properly sleep like, twice every week. And setting them to sleep was a challenge on it’s own, Angel would usually go no problem, clearly showing signs of being tired that would usually help Fire Spirit know when they should go and sleep, he just needed to settled them on their bed, and they would be asleep in no time.   
Devil though…  
Of course the little troublemaker would refuse to sleep no matter how they clearly needed it. More than once, Fire Spirit would find the other literally passed out in one of the castle corridors or corners, which would lead to him picking their asleep form up, and FINALLY also settling them on their bed. Both would them sleep for hours, sometimes even a full day, and wake up as energized as ever.

It was a random extra task to do every now and then, but Fire Spirit honestly didn’t mind.

However, since both spirits already had their sleep times for the week, that meant they were both highly awake and highly active.   
And Angel surely wanted to show Knight around the castle. Even Devil, despite saying otherwise, was clearly excited to hang around the mortal again, not that they would ever admit it, but Fire Spirit had spend time around them enough to pick when they were lying. 

So when he told them Knight was still sleeping, and they were NOT supposed to wake him up, they were clearly disappointed.   
Fire Spirit reminded them that he was a mortal, and needed his sleep, and is not like they couldn’t show him around later anyway, as expected, Angel seemed to understand, still not happy, but they understood. 

Devil however, Fire Spirit had to physically hold them back twice, or else they were ready to burst into the room and wake the human. 

The god let out a quiet laugh, those two little spirits sure made his life more interesting. He did manage to convince both to let the human rest by telling them to look for their favorite place around the castle so once Knight woke up, they could should him right away. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the creaking sounds of the floor, looks like a certain mortal was finally awake. Sure enough, looking up from his place at the table, the God could see Knight slowly making his way towards the dining area, head and eyes looking around, seemingly looking for anyone.

_Or maybe trying to avoid someone_ . Fire Spirit couldn’t help but think.   
Still, The God had a mission, he would be getting close to the guy no matter what it took. 

Clearing his throat to get the other attention, Fire Spirit sat, one leg on top of the other, arm still holding his head and regular smirk on his face, the god looked at the mortal as he jumped slightly, clear surprise on his face. Guess he really hoped to not come across Fire Spirit, huh…?

“-Well, Well, Look who is finally awake!” Fire Spirit spoke, chuckling slightly at the end. “-For someone who was having trouble to get used to a bed, you surely slept for quite a while on it~” He continued to stare at the other, smirk never leaving his face.

Knight couldn’t help but jump in surprise when he heard the God voice, is not like he was TRYING to hide from him, (he doubt he could considering he was currently in his place) but you know, just avoiding him for a little longer. Or maybe face him when Angel and Devil were around, that would’ve been slightly better.  
But yet, of course fate would have other plans for him, and the god would be clearly waiting for him.   
Behind a huge mountain of food that honestly could feed his whole village without much effort. Wow. He really wasn’t joking when he said something about a breakfast, but just how much did Fire Spirit think he ate?! 

Shaking his head and taking his eyes from the mountain of food and instead focusing back on the God staring at him, Knight took a breath before answering him, hand scratching behind his neck nervously. 

“-I… I honestly didn’t mean to sleep for so long…” He mumbled. “-If I am being honest, I actually am not even sure what time it is. I suppose once I got used for the bed, I slept for way longer than I ever did.” Knight gaze left the God for a minute, staring at the ground. 

Fire Spirit chuckled, getting up and making his way towards the other. “-It’s alright buttercup, yesterday WAS a big day, after all!” He stood next to Knight, leaning slightly on his staff. “-Glad to know you got used to the bed though~” He said after leaning towards Knight’s face, getting dangerously close, he whispering loud enough just for the blonde to hear, smug smirk on his face. “-Oh, and to answer your question, is nearly Midday.” He then floated back, standing next to him, smirk still in his face.

Knight really should have gotten used to the God sudden… Approaches he seemed to like to do. It was like he had no notion of personal space! Knight wasn’t used to people getting that close to him, the only person who would get that close was Princess whenever she hugged him, and even then, she was always the one who initiated the friendly touches, he knew what to expect, that was his friend.   
But with the god? He had NO IDEA when or what was coming whenever he would pull a move like this, and that made him nervous.

However, when he heard the God said just what time it was, he couldn’t hold back his surprised shout.   
“-NEARLY MIDDAY?!?!” He shouted, shocked expression on his face and mouth hanging open while he stared at the God, who had jumped slightly in surprise by the other shouting. “- I- Are you serious?! Or is this some trick?!” Knight continued to ask, voice cracking slightly in disbelief. He NEVER slept for so long! Did travelling between the realms tired him out that badly, somehow?! 

“-Geez buttercup, calm down.” Fire Spirit frowned, floating away from the other slightly. “-Why would I trick about that, really? So many good options to trick you with exist, I wouldn’t use something silly as what time it is, specially since you don’t know how time works around here.” He crossed his arms, staring at the other. “-You slept in, so what? Is that a big deal? Do you humans need to wake up at a certain time or something?” The God asked, genuinely curious. Again, whenever Angel and Devil slept, they could easily sleep for a whole day. The God himself, even if rarely, would go and take a nap, just because he didn’t have to, doesn’t mean he couldn’t after all. He honestly didn’t see what the problem was.

“-I…” Knight sighed, eyes closing and hands making their way up and messing with his blond hair. “-Is… Not that. We don’t have a time to wake up, not really, well… I guess we do? Is… Complicated.” He frowned. “-I’m used to waking up earlier, get a lot of things done before the day truly starts… By waking up this late, I already lost basically half of the day.” Knight crossed his arms. There was also the fact that Knight considered sleeping until late in someone else place was just plain rude, God or not. He really expected better from himself. 

Fire Spirit continued to look at the human, confused look still on his face. That was it? The guy was worried he lost his day? There was still plenty of daytime and nighttime to go by.  
Then again, The god had to remind himself that different from himself and anyone he knew, Knight would need to sleep again during the night, which meant there would be a long period of time he would be sleeping instead of doing anything. 

“-...What’s the problem though?” Fire Spirit asked, still confused. “-Is not like you have any of your old duties to do here anyway.” The god shrugged. 

“-Ah…” Knight stared at him for a few seconds, mouth still agape. “-I… Suppose you are right…” He took a breath in. “-Still, I thought I was used to waking up earlier anyway, guess my internal clock is a little messed up from being in a different realm…” 

“-Hm, who knows, maybe.” Fire Spirit floated back beside Knight, arm lazily going around the other shoulders. “-ANYWAY. You missed breakfast time, but i’m sure you can just eat what I made now, anyway~” The smirk was back on his face, the arm not around the other was pointing towards the table with his staff.

“-W-well--” Knight gulped, again, not used to the other sudden approaches. “-I… Suppose it has been a while since I ate…” It was. He literally haven’t ate anything since he came to the God’s realm, he honestly could feel his stomach grumbling just at the sight of the food. “-But still, there is NO WAY I could eat all of that!” The human stared at the other, incredulous look on his face, while he slowly attempted to move away from the other arm. “-I mean, this honestly could feed my whole village! Most of it would go to waste…” He stared at the table, after successfully moving from the other grip. 

Fire Spirit stared at him, blank expression on his face, the arm that was around Knight now handing on the air. “-Well yeah, I guessed as much.” He let out a huff. “-I just… Ya’know. Didn’t know what you would enjoy eating so… I… Got a little bit of everything…?” The god turned his gaze away from the other, the hanging arm going to scratch behind his neck. “-Is not like it WILL go to waste, whatever you don’t eat i’ll just… Save for another time, I guess.”   
Come on, he WAS trying here. Was this not friendly enough for the guy?! Worrying about what the other would like is a friendly thing to do, yeah?

“-O-Oh…” Knight stared at the other, who was still avoiding to look at him. That was… Somewhat thoughtful of the God. “-I… Guess I better get to eating then…” He let out a quiet laugh while making his way to sit in one of the chairs. Part of him was screaming for him to be careful, that could be a trick. The food could be poisoned, or just straight up deadly for mortals.   
However, when he looked back at the God hopeful and expecting stare while waiting for the human to pick something to eat, he decided to, for the first time in a while, ignore those thoughts. Just for the God’s sake. 

And considering those were the best pancakes he had EVER tasted, Knight was glad he did.

Knight once again didn’t expect to be as hungry as he was, there was still no way he would eat even half of what was presented in front of him, but he definitely ate way more than he normally would. He really hoped the God wouldn’t think his behaviour was disgusting or anything like that right now…

But considering that said God was sat back on the other head of the table, happily staring at the human eating, Knight deduced he was more content than anything now. Even if the staring was slightly uncomfortable, specially with him eating. 

“-U-um…” Knight swallowed a piece of the carrot cake he was currently eating, cleaning his face slightly with a napkin nearby, he turned to the God. “-Do… You want to join me?” He asked, for the sake of being polite more than anything. He KNEW Gods didn’t need to eat, but again, he didn’t want to be disrespectful. 

The God stared at him, blinking in surprise, for a few seconds. He clearly didn’t expect that question, Fire Spirit was honestly just happy the guy had gone and ate some of the stuff he got, with how dense he was, he was expecting him to deny eating anything in fear it was poisoned or something that would kill him.

I mean, Fire Spirit would kill him… On the right time, of course. 

Shaking his surprise, Fire Spirit thought for a second. Yes, it was true he didn’t NEED to eat, but just like sleeping, he still could do it. He just chose not to most of the time.   
Was eating together a friendly activity? It could build some trust, right? He was down to anything as long as it got the other to trust him.  
So, finally taking his decision, the God let out a chuckle, before picking up a plate with fruits nearby. “-Sure buttercup, I’ll join you, why not...” And so, he began to eat. 

Knight stared, surprised, he honestly didn’t expect the God to ACTUALLY join him. But hey, this was technically his food, he could eat as much as he wanted. Cleaning his throat, Knight focused back on his own plate, silently eating while the God did the same. 

It was a few minutes late, that Angel and Devil walked into the room, Angel happily squealing in delight once seeing Knight was awake, saying how they were excited to finally show him around. Devil walked in behind them, scowl on their face, mumbling something along the lines of “how he dared to keep them waiting.”   
The little spirits would have pulled Knight from the table right away to start the tour, has Fire Spirit voice not stopped them, pointing how he was clearly still eating, so either they were to wait for him to finish, or they could just join them.

For Knight surprise, Both actually sat on the table as well, happily munching on anything they could grab, Angel going mainly for the fruits, while Devil seemed to favour the pastries. The little spirits would stop and happily talk about random things every now and then, Fire Spirit would sometimes reply with a hum in agreement, other times he would pause his own eating to remind the two to finish chewing before speaking.

The Human couldn’t deny how strange that whole situation was, it was… Weirdly familiar. It reminded him of the time where both his parents were alive, and they would all just sit at the table in the morning during breakfast and happily talk with each other.

Definitely NOT something he expected to go through when he was captured by a God. 

Looking at his own half-eaten plate, Knight stared at it, memories clouding his mind.   
He suddenly didn’t felt hungry anymore.

* * *

Just as he had promised, after being done with eating, Knight was happy to follow the little spirits around to get to know the castle.   
He DID offer Fire Spirit to help with cleaning the mess they made while eating, the God just shrugged him off, saying how he could deal with it, and that he should just go with Angel and Devil before they grew even more impatient. 

So, he decided to trust his word, and allowed himself to be dragged around but the two.

And truth be told, they did show him basically every little space possible.   
Except from Fire Spirit room, which on the bright side, Knight now knew exactly where it was. Part of him was a little curious about the other room, why would someone who doesn’t sleep that often even need one? Maybe he could ask him at some point… But not now. It wasn’t important anyway. 

Specially since there was way more rooms to cover anyway, things and places the human never expected to find in the fire god place.   
Like an actual training room. 

He would be lying if he said his eyes didn’t light up when he saw the place, it was definitely way more well done than the training grounds back in the village, with wood dummies, shooting targets that moved, and other training areas Knight could only imagine what they were used for. 

He suddenly missed being able to train whenever he wanted, he didn’t even have his sword anymore.

Knight didn’t have much time to think about it, since Angel was dragging him to see the areas around the back garden, happily stopping to show the human their favorite flowers around, while Devil growled stating how boring that was the whole time.

He knew the front gardens were beautiful, but Knight honestly didn’t expect to see so many pretty flowers in the back either.   
The question of who took care of them still clouded his mind, but for now he decided to just try his best to learn the name of the flowers that Angel was happily sharing with him.

* * *

The whole tour had lasted way longer than Knight thought it would, but then again, the place was stupidly big. Whatever the case, Knight also learned minor spirits clearly didn’t get tired like mortals did, which he should have expected, but still…

Right now, after finally being done, Knight was sitting in one of the benches in the front garden, bushes of carnations and pansies(he didn’t knew how long he would remember the name of the flowers Angel thought him, but he would try his best) around him, while a gentle breeze floated around. Closing his eyes and lying against the bench, Knight thought he could just relax for a minute…

And then he heard Fire Spirit voice from behind him. 

“-So, there you are! I was getting worried those two finally had gotten you, buttercup~” The god let out a laugh, before floating and making his way to the bench, sitting next to Knight. “-Enjoyed the tour? For how long it took for me to see those two again, I’m guessing they showed you all around, huh?” He sat, legs crossed, arms around the bench seat back, while his staff was on his lap. 

Knight once again jumped slightly on his seat, he REALLY should get used to the God just sneaking in whenever he felt like. Letting out a fake cough, the human put his hands on his lap, eyes focusing on the garden around him.   
“-Well, you… could say they slightly did…” He let out a nervous laugh. “-They definitely showed me all the places I could go to. Guess they didn’t take into account how tired I would get from getting up and down the stairs for hours though.” 

“-Oooh yeah… Sorry about that.” The god let out a laugh. “-They obviously know about that, but you know how kids are when they are too excited. They just, forget.” Fire Spirit shrugged, smirk on his face, while he looked at Knight. 

“-Heh, yeah it’s fine, I already appreciate them showing me around to begin with.” The blond let out a quiet laugh of his own. “-It was a good workout anyway.” 

“-Of course you would say that.” Fire Spirit rolled his eyes, before looking at the human again. “-You seem the type of guy to train non-stop for hours.” 

“-W-well… I guess I am…” Knight scratched the back of his neck nervously, eyes leaving the God’s for a minute. “-I… I HAD to train hard to be able to… Protect my village one day, Since I would rule it and what not…” For a minute, Knight almost forgot who exactly he was playing as, he was the chief son. The one who was supposed to rule the village one day, not just a simple guard. 

“-...Yeah, I guess you did, huh…” Fire Spirit replied, voice low, blank expression on his face that had Knight nervous. 

  
Finally, after what felt like hours of the God staring at Knight, he cleared his throat, stretching his arms, before he turned back to the other next to him.   
“-Sooo anyway, what else did you do back in your village?” Fire Spirit suddenly asked, surprising the human next to him.

“-What… What I did?” The blond asked, confused by the other sudden question. Why was he so interested on something like that out of nowhere? 

“-Yeah! Tell me a little about you!” The God continued, smile on his face. “-Let’s get to know a little bit about each other, how about that?”

“-I… I don’t know… There isn’t much to know…” Knight replied honestly, biting his lip and turning his gaze away from the other for a moment. 

“-Aaw come on buttercup! How about we make this a game?” Fire Spirit said, fanged smile on his face, while the arm that was around the bench making its way towards Knight shoulders instead. 

“- A… A game…?” Knight asked curious, trying his best to ignore the blush he could feel making its way to his cheeks. WHY did the God need to be so close all the time?!

“-Yup! I ask you one question about you, and you can ask one about me in return! How about that?!” The God voice was clearly excited, the arm around Knight shoulders went away, going back to lazily hang around the bench, while he continued to look right at the other eyes

Knight stared back at Fire Spirit, curiosity clear in his blue eyes. A game of questions? Why did he want to know more about him anyway? All of that made absolutely no sense in Knight’s mind.  
And yet, it could give the blond some questions he has been wondering about the God…

And truth be told, looking back at the God excited face, Knight just couldn’t find the strength to deny playing this silly game. Better not make the fire god angry, right?

So, deciding perhaps against his best judgement, Knight let out a sigh, before turning back at Fire Spirit and nodding.  
“-Sure, Let’s play your question game.” He finally replied, a small nervous smile on his face. He had no idea just what the god could ask him at this point.

And the excited expression on Fire Spirit face once hearing he agreed to play, definitely didn’t help his nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun to write. FINALLY we are starting this slowburn, aaay
> 
> ANYWAY, To the idea I mentioned in the beginning notes...  
> I lowkey have been thinking about making an ask blog on tumblr for this AU????  
> It probably would be after the fic is over, so ya'know, it would be set after the ending, probably. IDK, i probably would made some events to go back to moments happening during the fic, like, when Knight just gets into the castle on the Gods realm or something. It would be kinda like an alternate reality for an AU??? who knows pffff  
> Again, is not a settled idea. I can easily change my mind by the time im done with this fic, even though I do love this AU i made and would love to go back to it once im done with the fic so...  
> idk, would you guys like that? Have the chance to ask the characters questions and have them answered and stuff?? You guys opinion obviously count more than anything so... let me know :'D


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire Spirit and Knight get to learn a little about each other. 
> 
> And once again, Fire Spirit surprised Knight by doing something the other DEFINITELY didn't expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter aaay!  
> Thanks once more for all the support you guys been giving me <3  
> and keep letting me know if creating an ask blog for this AU once the fic is over, would be something you guys would be interested in! :o

Fire Spirit just couldn’t believe his luck right now.  
FINALLY something that would actually allow him to know more about the guy, sure, he would need to answer some things as well, but he doubted the human would be able to tell if he was lying or not. Besides, what could Knight ask him that would be so bad, right? 

He would need to lie if he asked what the god planned to do with him again, though.

But nevermind that! Fire Spirit would finally be able to know something that would hopefully, help him gain his trust, and that’s all he was looking for.

“-Alright then! Let’s put down the rules.” The God continued to look at the human, excited smirk on his face. “-We each get to ask a question per time, can’t skip, can’t deny to answer and there is no time limit to answer,Sounds good?” 

“-Yeah, sure…” Knight replied, unsure expression on his face. He wouldn’t deny he was nervous about this, he knew HE had questions, tons of them, but he had no idea what the God could possibly want to know. “-So…” He gulped. “-Who starts?”

“-Uuuh, me, of course!” Fire Spirit arched an eyebrow, smirk never leaving his face while he leaned down into the bench. “-I was the one who suggested this game, anyway~” 

“-Oh. I… Suppose that’s fair.” The blond continued to fidget with his hands in his lap. “-Uh… A-ask away then?” Knight turned to face the one beside him, nervous smile on his face, trying his best to not let the god see through him and how nervous he was.

“-Alright! So…” Fire Spirit paused for a second, eyes closed and hand around his chin as if he was thinking on what to ask. “-What did you do back in the village? For fun, I mean. Hobbies and what not.” He turned his gaze to the other, curiosity in his eyes.

Knight paused for a minute to think, his own hand moving towards his chin, deep in thought. What he did for fun? That was honestly a… normal question, he supposed.   
And yet, he was having a hard time figuring the answer.   
“Fun” wasn’t something he ever focused that much on. He was training pretty much his whole life, been around the art of being a guard since he was a child. Of course he had the times were he had fun, but they were usually random little things happening when he was around his friends and what not. Hobbies? He doesn’t think he had them. He had a routine, that he have been following as long as he can remember,

...Wow, he suddenly realized how sad that sounds…

Not to say he didn’t enjoy it though, he wouldn’t have traded it for anything unless incredibly necessary, which...you know. He kinda already did when he offered to be the one being taken by the God instead of Princess. 

But right now, he really wishes he had indulged in some of the random hobbies Princess would try to push him into.

“-Uuh… S-sorry..” Knight turned to the god, nervous smile still on his face. “-I… Really don’t mean to be taking this long to answer, is just...” He bit his lip. He figured telling the guy he was just always too busy with a guard routine to get hobbies wouldn’t be a good answer. It also would reveal his cover, so yeah. Not a good idea.

“-Don’t sweat it, buttercup.” The God shrugged, calm smile on his face. “-no time limit remember? I bet you just had SO many hobbies you are having a hard time picking them, huh~?” His usual smirk was back on his face.

Knight paused, frowning slightly. “-Not… Really.” He sighed, he could see the confusion on the God face after hearing him say that. Should he just tell him? Obviously he would need to change some things but still, Knight remembers Princess complaining how her own studies and training to be the next chief were exhausting and barely allowed her to have some free time for herself, so… He could use that as well.   
“-Truth is, with all the study and training I had to do in order to learn how to be a good chief I just--” He waved his hands around his head, trying to find the right words. “-Never had the time to just, sit down and have fun, I guess?” The human turned away from the other, distant look on his eyes. While the part about learning to be a good chief was a lie, the rest was pretty close to the truth.

The fire god kept staring at him, blinking. “-...Wait, really?” He turned his head to the side slightly. “-So what, you just had to do boring stuff 24/7?” 

“-Well, I--” Knight continued, but was interrupted by the God before he could finish.

“-WAIT! Hold up. That was another question on my part.” He shook his head slightly, hands up in sign for Knight to stop talking. “-It’s your turn to ask something now, not mine. So yeah, ask your question first.” Fire Spirit crossed his legs, one hand holding his staff while the other rested on his lap, looking at Knight, he waited for the other question.

“-O-Oh…!” Knight couldn’t help but be surprised, part of him was expecting the God to just apply the rules of this silly game towards him, yet it seemed he was following them as well. Pausing to think for a minute, Knight kept staring at the ground, frowning. He had SO MANY questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t knew which of them would be pushing the god’s limit and patience, beside, who could tell if the god would be speaking the truth? Knight himself wasn’t! Still, it was his turn, so he decided to ask something simple that, while not one of the things he was intrigued about, it was something he was curious about.  
“-What’s the deal with the clothes you have me wearing? Why did I need to change from the ones I arrived in and now have to wear the same type of clothes all the time?” The blond asked, turning to Fire Spirit with a curious look on his face. 

“-Oh, that?” Fire Spirit pointed at the other clothes, one eyebrow arched again. “-If I kept you in your normal clothes, you would have died in like, no time, so I had to give you something proper to wear~” He smirked, fangs appearing clearly, the hand that was on his lap making its way to rest behind his neck that had his head resting on the bench back seat, eyes closed and smirk still clear. 

Knight stared at the other in confusion. “-Wait, What?” He looked down at his own clothes, that didn’t answer his question! “-What do you mean by that?” The human stared back at the god, frustrated. 

“-That’s another question, buttercup~” Fire Spirit let out a small chuckle, lazily opening one eye to look at the other. “-And is MY turn to ask now.” 

The blond let out a huff in frustration, crossing his arms and turning his gaze away from the other. “-Fine. Your turn then.” 

“-Alright!” Sitting properly again, Fire Spirit looked back at Knight before asking. “-So, you say you were always training and studying to be a good chief, but there HAS to be SOMETHING you did that you would have a good time doing! What was it? What was that one thing that would, I dunno, relax you? Have you be content while doing?” He asked, lazy smile on his face. 

“-What I would be happy to do…?” Knight blinked, humming slightly while he thought about it. “-I… Think when I was training my fighting skills? I know, it might sounds dumb but…” He let out a quiet laugh, eyes closing. “-I always felt better after hitting those training dummies and what not. Whenever I was stressed or had too much in mind, hitting things with my sword for like, an hour, would be enough to have me back in a good mood.” He replied, genuinely, calm expression while looking at the ground. Training DID always help him calm down, no matter what everyone said, when it was just him, his sword and the fake targets, he could focus on something other than his troubles. That was peaceful for him. 

Fire Spirit couldn’t help the small smile on his face, gaze turning away from the other. “-That isn’t dumb, buttercup. I get it.” He closed his eyes, back resting on the bench again. “-Destroying and hitting things when you’re angry or frustrated is something I can relate to. Not something I do ALL the time, but sometimes it is just what I need.” The god chuckled. “-I mean, at least you aren’t attacking REAL people and what not.” He shrugged, hands once again behind his neck. “Attacking actual people is more like something I would do…” He added in a whisper, so low Knight couldn’t even hear it, gaze still not focusing on the blond.

“-You… Really think so?” Knight stared at the other, shocked. Not with the news the god himself would release some stress with training, (there WAS a training area in the place, it obviously was used for something) but more with how the god didn’t see a problem on that. Yes, Knight never would fully attack actual people, when he was beyond stressed he wouldn’t even spar with other people, afraid he would accidentally hurt them in his frustration.    
Princess and Pistachio where the only people who knew him enough to know what was his stress-relief technique, but still, they didn’t fully understand it. Pistachio could be a guard like he was, but the woman would much rather relax with literally anything else other than training when she was stressed, and Princess? She knew how to defend herself if she needed to, but obviously she didn’t do much training, she couldn’t understand Knight point of view even if she tried to, the pink haired would actually worry Knight was pushing himself too hard, whenever she caught him fighting for hours. 

So yeah, it was nice to talk with someone who could understand him in a closer level. 

“-I… Thanks.” Knight let out a small laugh. 

Fire Spirit turned to him, surprised. “-What for?” He honestly didn’t realize he said anything that the other could be thankful for. He just said what he thought, releasing stress by hitting stuff that were meant to be hit was alright, right?

“-For understanding, I suppose.” Another chuckle. “-Whenever people learn that I usually continue to train when I’m stressed because of things, they usually think I’m just… Attempting to push myself too far, trying to forget what I’m stressing over, basically, not relaxing like I should be.” Knight leaned back on the bench, head back, staring at the sky. “-So yeah… Thank you for not judging me on that, and actually understanding, I guess.” The blond gaze turned towards the God, who continued to stare at him incredulously, small sincere smile on Knight’s face. 

The god continued to stare at the other, blinking, he could feel his cheeks getting slightly warmer than normal. “-Uuh… Y-you’re welcome…? I really don’t see the big deal here but…” He let out a fake cough, head turning away from the other gaze. He wanted to say something else but his words got caught in his throat.  
Fire Spirit REALLY was confused, I mean, was that really that big of a deal? He knew the guy definitely would be the training type, and isn’t releasing your frustrations on fake targets healthy or something? He thought it was, but judging by Knight’s genuine reaction to his answer, it seems the ones around the human didn’t think like that. 

Fire Spirit kinda wondered how bad it was, if he got moved by something as simple as the god saying he thought it was ok to do it, and that he also would do something alike from time to time. 

Meanwhile, Knight was slightly panicking himself. He could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment, biting his lips, the blond continued to stare at his hands on his lap.

He wasn’t sure what made him say something like that to the God, what allowed him to be so.. vulnerable, around him. Knight hardly opened up to anyone, Princess was probably the one who knew the most about him, and there were still things he didn’t share with her and would just keep to himself. Knight wasn’t someone to easily trust people, SPECIALLY not gods.

And yet…

He found that doing so somehow made him few better, like the feeling when you are keeping so much bottled up and then you finally open up to someone. It wasn’t exactly what had happened, but still, the feeling was similar enough in Knight’s opinion.

Part of him still was startled to realize just how easy he could open up with the fire god, though.

A silence reigned for a few minutes between them, both avoiding each other gaze. Both males clearly not sure what to say next, finally, Fire Spirit cleared his throat, trying to catch the other attention and break the awkward tension, they WERE still technically playing, right?

“-U-uh… It’s- It’s your turn to ask something, buttercup.” He let out a nervous laugh, trying his best to let his usual smirk show while he turned to look back at Knight.

“-My… Turn?” The sudden voice of the god had slightly startled him, he stared back, still feeling slightly hot in the cheeks, which he tried his best to hide. He honestly thought that game of questions was over, despite all the questions he had, right now his mind was drawing blank. “-U-uh… Sure, Let me think for a second…” Knight let out a nervous chuckle, truly thinking about a question he could ask the god. 

Dang it, he really couldn’t think on ANY of the million questions he knew he had. 

Still, his mind could recall the conversation and past questions Fire Spirit HAD answered already, he said something about him needing these clothes the god gave to him right? He can’t recall him specifying why. Well, that was better than nothing.

“-You said before how those new clothes are so I don’t die or something? What do you mean by that, why would I die if I kept my regular clothes?” Knight finally asked, hands still nervously holding onto said clothing, gaze locked on the god.

“-Oh, that?” Fire Spirit cleared his throat again. “-W-well… The thing about the Gods realm is that… Ya’know, is made FOR the gods.” He let out a small chuckle. “-In here, we are, as you may know, immortal, ageless, our power here is greater than ever, things like that.” Fire Spirit paused for a second, one hand holding onto his staff tightly while the other scratched behind his neck. “-Sure, we still are most of those things back in your mortals realm, but here we are just even more I guess. The reason behind that is because of the energy this place has.” The god paused again, looking at Knight to see if he was following so far.

“-Energy…?” Knight turned his head slightly in confusion. He expected this place to be something else for the Gods, but he still couldn’t connect what that had to do with him needing to wear these clothes. 

“-Yup.” Fire Spirit turned away from Knight, gazing focusing on the garden around them instead. “-That energy is constant around, giving everything here their power and what not. This is one of the reason Gods and minor spirits can’t stay in your mortal realms forever, if we run out of this energy, we would DEFINITELY be in trouble.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “-If we run out of energy, we start losing our powers. If we lose our powers, we die. Simple like that. It’s obviously something that takes time to happen, years, even, but if a god or spirit stay there for too long, it’s bound to happen.” Fire Spirit shrugged slightly, gazing towards Knight from the corner of his eyes.

Knight stared at the other, mouth slightly open. That was something he NEVER knew about, there is definitely nothing about the gods dying if they stay among the mortals realm for too long in the books. It was… Interesting to know about it.  
Still didn’t answer his questions though.  
“-That’s…” Knight began speaking, voice low. “-Honestly interesting. I never expected the Gods realm to be this important for you gods…” The blond gulped. “-Still, it… Didn’t really answer my question.”

Fire Spirit let out a chuckle, leaning his head on the bench backseat again. “-I was getting there buttercup.” He gazed towards Knight, smile on his face. “-The thing is, just like we Gods can’t stay in the mortal realm forever, you mortals DEFINITELY can’t stay here for too long either.” The fire god let out a huff. “-It actually works way faster on you guys, obviously. But basically, the energy around here is… Too much for your mortal bodies. If you were to stay here wearing your regular clothes, you would definitely die within a day or so, having your body literally be destroyed by an invisible force from the inside out.” 

“-Oh… OH.” The human gulped nervously. Those were definitely worrying news. Training to be a guard, Knight never really feared death itself, it was something he was ready to embrace when the time came, but still… 

  
He can’t imagine slowly being killed by something you can’t see, while you have no idea what’s going on. That’s just terrifying. 

“-I… I see…” Knight bit his lip, head turning away from the god for a moment. “-So… The clothes help for that to NOT happen, i’m guessing?”

“-Right again, blondie.” Fire Spirit crossed his legs, staring at the other from the corner of his eyes again. “-All the sets you have are enchanted. They make it so the energy around basically ignores your existence and doesn’t overwhelm your mortal body and what not. Making it possible for you to stay here no problem.” The fire god paused for a second, and continued before Knight could say anything. “-Oh yeah, and they are also kind of a mark to show you are with me, so the other gods don’t try anything if they were to find you without me nearby.”

Knight continued to stare, he supposed he should have expected some magical explanation towards needing to use the clothes. Part of him also expected it to be an elaborated trick from the god, he was glad that part was wrong.   
The second thing the fire god said caught the human off guard though. A mark to show he was his?  
“-A… mark?” He asked, clearly confused. Knight quickly realized he probably wouldn’t get his answer right now since it was the god turn to ask, however. 

“-Yup. But hold that question dear, it’s my turn now, right~?” Fire Spirit turned his head fully to look at the other, smirk back on his face. 

Knight couldn’t help but roll his eyes, small smile on his face. “-Yeah, Yeah, right… What else you want to know?” The blond crossed his arms, looking at the other, smile still there.

“-Still in the topic of the clothes I gave you, I’m just wondering why you don’t like them? Are they uncomfortable or something?” It wasn’t something he worried about when first getting them, he wanted something that a mortal could wear, simple as that. As long as it served its purpose, and had his emblem, it was good for him. 

But hey, if Fire Spirit is trying to get on this guy good side, he could spare a minute to fix a better set of clothes if these weren’t comfortable for the guy.   
You know, just to earn his trust, is all. 

The human frowned for a minute, thinking how exactly he could tell the other why he wasn’t that big of a fan of the clothes. It definitely wasn’t because they were uncomfortable, Knight could sleep on them no problem.    
“-Is… Not that I dislike them exactly. They ARE comfortable, I had no trouble sleeping with them or doing anything else, is just…” He gulped, gazing turning away from the other. “-Ugh, it’s… stupid, really.” Knight let out a nervous laugh.

“-Well, tell me anyway.” Fire Spirit rolled his eyes, smirk still on his face. “-It’s my question, so you gotta answer, buttercup~” 

“-W-well…” Knight couldn’t help but fidget with the sleeves of the undershirt he was wearing. “-Is just…” He paused for a second, before taking a deep breath. “-... Imnotafanoftheshadesofred.” He mumbled, so quietly and fast the god couldn’t catch a word.

“What was that? Didn’t hear you there.” The god let out a chuckle, leaning his body closer to the other face. 

Knight let out a frustrated sigh, gaze still not meeting the god. “-... I’m not a fan of the shades of red, alright?!” The blond crossed his arms, pouting slightly. He could feel the other closer to him, and was trying his best to ignore the heat coming back to his face. 

The fire god stared at the other frustrated face for a while, before finally not taking it anymore and letting out a loud laugh. “-PFFF Really?! That’s it?” He continued to say between laughs, small tears on the corner of his eyes. “-Well, sorry to break it to you buttercup, those are MY colors. Not sure if you realized but there are a lot of things in shades of red around here.” Fire Spirit was trying his best to stop laughing, hand cleaning away the small happy tears from his face, while he continued to stare at Knight. 

Knight pouted even harder. Yes, he knew it was stupid, he didn’t need the remind. Rolling his eyes, he turned his face towards Fire Spirit, blushing slightly in frustration. “-Why, really?! Oh my, if you didn’t point out everything around here was red, I certainly wouldn’t have noticed.” He replied, sarcastic tone present in his voice. “-Give me a break, is not my fault I prefer cold colors like shades of blue and what not…” He turned away from the god with a huff. 

“-Pfft no,no… you’re right.” Fire Spirit cleaned the last signs of his laughing fit from his face. “-Still, it definitely is MY prefered colors. So you know, You’re here, you gotta wear them.” The god let out a final chuckle, smirk on his face, he leaned towards the other annoyed form.

Knight continued to refuse to look at the other smirking face, he could feel him pretty much laying on his back at this point. “-Yeah, Yeah, WHATEVER. Let’s drop it!” He finally shouted, shaking the god slightly from his back, which made Fire Spirit lean away slightly, giving Knight some space at least. “-Is my turn now, yeah?” The blond finally looked back at the god, arms still crossed and frustrated expression on his face.

Fire Spirit still was giggling slightly, both hands holding onto his staff. “-Sure. That will be your final question though.” He closed his eyes, leaning back towards the bench. “-I got nothing else to ask to you now so… Let’s stop this game after your question.” 

There were definitely way more questions Knight wanted to ask, but part of him knew trying to push the god to continue this silly game was futile anyway. So he decided to just end with the question that didn’t get answer last time.  
“-What do you mean these clothes have your mark? What’s THAT for?” Knight was still frustrated by the god, and also slightly embarrassed, so honestly? He was glad this game was ending. 

“-The necklace you’re wearing and the flame emblem on the front there?” The god pointed at each thing respectively, smirk still on his face, while looking at the other frustrated face. “-Those are my marks. My emblems. I’m sure you noticed the flame mark on the banners around the place, yeah?” 

Knight nodded, arms still crossed. It was one of the first things he noticed around, all the banners and tapestries with the flame designs somewhere. 

“-For a god, those emblems are… Kind of a personal signature.” He closed his eyes, shrugging. “-Each god has their own marks, so whenever another god sees said mark, they know the god the mark belongs to, is around.” Fire Spirit turned towards Knight again, pointing to the necklace the human was wearing on top of his clothes. “-The necklace isn’t exactly part of my mark, but is to let the other knows you are staying with me for the time being. See? It matches my own.” He showed the other his own matching necklace, the pendant clearly matching Knight’s. “-So if anything were to happen and you were to get lost somewhere, and be found by another God, they would have to bring you back here, simple like that!” Fire Spirit grinned. “-Which means you can take it off to like, sleep, if its uncomfortable, but otherwise, you gotta keep it with you all the time, got that~?” 

The blond stared at the necklace he was wearing for a second frowning, that was a good explanation. Well, not really, but it made somewhat sense. In fact, Knight could recall seeing similar markings to the one in the necklace on the back of both, Angel and Devil capes.

Didn’t mean he was happy about it though.

“-So… The necklace is basically a dog tag.” Knight asked, voice and expression cold while he stared at the other.

Fire Spirit let out a nervous laugh, avoiding the other gaze. “-Whaaaa? Nooo. Of- Of course not!” His hand was behind his neck again, still avoiding the other eyes. “-... Ok, maybe it is. Slightly.” He let out a nervous cough. 

Knight let out a sarcastic laugh. “-Oh, great.” He turned away from the god, arms crossed again. 

“-Come on, is- Is NOT like that, not really…?” Fire Spirit let out a nervous laugh. “-It IS for safety. You don’t wanna know what some of the gods and spirits out there would do if they found a wild mortal walking around.” 

That got the mortal to look back at the god, arching an eyebrow in confusion. “-Does it really matter when I can’t even leave the castle?” Knight let out another frustrated huff. “-I mean, let me guess. They would kill me? That seems like the deal around here.” 

The fire god stared back at Knight, mouth closed on a thin line, hand behind his neck. “-I mean, basically? Yeah. Technically, they would rip your soul out of your living body, which would be agonizing beyond your imagination, and slowly but surely you would die, agonizing in pain every second.” His eyes turned away from the other, focusing on the ground, blank expression still on his face.

The human was quiet, mouth slightly open while he processed what the god told him. Of course, that honestly shouldn’t surprise him by now. Dying a slow and agonizing death seem to be a normal possibility when dealing with almost anything around this realm. 

Taking a deep breath, Knight closed his eyes, the god kept his promise and actually answered the questions he had, that was already good enough for him. 

“-Ok. I get it…I’m not removing the necklace.” Knight let out a sigh, frowning. It was clear to him basically anything around here could and would kill him if given the chance, and there was nothing a simple mortal like him could do about that. 

His fate here was most likely death, no matter how he looked at it. 

He let out another sad sigh “-That’s.. The end of the game, yeah?” He watched the god from the corner of his eyes, sad small smile on his face. “-Thanks for actually answering my questions I… I appreciate it, really.” Knight stared at Fire Spirit for a second, sad smile still on his face, before he brought his knees to the top of the bench, hugging them close to himself, resting his head on top of it, eyes distant, staring around the garden. 

Fire Spirit stared at the clearly upset human, frowning slightly himself.  
He didn’t like that. For some reason he really wasn’t liking that expression on the other face.

Biting his lip, the god stared around nervously. That wasn’t good, the guy was clearly getting comfortable around him, but now he was once again distancing himself from Fire Spirit. There had to be something he could do to lift the other spirits again, surely helping him would made him trust the god even more, right?

He definitely was helping him just to earn his trust, the god kept repeating to himself in his head. 

Fire Spirit thought back to what he just learned about the guy, it… Honestly wasn’t THAT much. He tried to not push the human, have him starting to trust him before he pulled bigger questions and what not. But still, there HAS to be something he learned that could help him right now.   
Let’s see… The guy was a fan of shades of blue, he didn't have that much, or rather, didn’t have a single hobby due to all the work he did…

…

He liked to train when he had a lot in his mind.

Shouting his eyes in surprise, Fire Spirit couldn’t help the happy grin that appeared in his face. That could help, right?! Getting up from the bench and stretching his legs for a second, the god held onto his staff, before turning toward Knight, happy grin still on his face, he gently shook the other shoulder to get his attention.   
“-Hey buttercup, light up! Come on, We’re going to do something else!” Fire Spirit continued to smile excitedly, waiting for the other to get up.

Knight lift his head up when he felt the other shook him, he stared at the god, confused and slightly nervous. What did he want now? The blond still didn’t know what to expect when it came to the fire god. Putting his knees back into the ground, he continued to stare at Fire Spirit, confusion clear in his eyes.  
“-Uh… What do you mean? What are we doing…?” Fire Spirit happy grin grew somewhat even larger, it honestly was a little terrifying, in Knight’s opinion. 

“-Why, We’re gonna train, of course!” He exclaimed happily, arms opening in excitement. “-Most precisely, the both of us are going to spar with one another!” Fire Spirit finished, hopeful expression on his eyes. That had to work, right? Knight DEFINITELY would love to do something like that!

Knight stared at Fire Spirit in disbelief, mouth agape.   
Did-- Did a God really just tell him they would have a sparring session?! Him, a MORTAL against a GOD?! 

He continued to stare, hoping the god would announce this to be a prank of sorts, that something on Fire Spirit face would show signs that he was lying and just trying to humor Knight.

Whoever, after staring at the god excited and hopeful face, the only confirmation Knight had was that he REALLY didn’t know what to expect when it came to Fire Spirit actions. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sparring session begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the comments and support~  
> Still thinking about the ask blog idea after the fic is over, but hey, there's still a while for that to happen so... Let's focus on the fic itself pfff
> 
> Anyway, Enjoy this chapter everyone! Writing a "fighting" scene was a fun experience. :'D

Knight considered himself to be a pretty brave person.

He had to be, given the path he chose was to be a guard.

He never would hesitate to jump in front of danger if it meant protecting someone else, even if that could lead to his death. If he died protecting and saving someone, he considered that to me a honorable way to go. 

...Right now though, while following the fire god to his training area after said god just proposed he, a mortal, spared with him, a powerful immortal God, Knight deduced it was fair enough for him to be slightly terrified. 

I mean, just WHY would Fire Spirit propose something like that?! There was no way Knight could win right? Did the god just want to humiliate him or something? Or was that a sick way of getting rid of him once and for all? The sparring sessions Knight had back in the village obviously never ended in anyone seriously hurt, but who could tell how sparring with a GOD would go?! There was nothing to assure Knight that Fire Spirit wouldn’t just strike him down the second he had an opening.  
Was this a test? Did the god trick him by having him open up and share some of his personal stuff, just so it could be used against him?

There was no way Fire Spirit was doing this just because Knight told him training made him happy, right…?

Gulping, Knight could feel himself nervously sweating. He continued to walk quietly behind the God, catching glimpse of the other excited smile on his face. That expression definitely wasn’t helping Knight nerves.

Fire Spirit meanwhile, was still sure this was the best idea ever.   
This DEFINITELY would have the guy liking him, right?! Doing something he enjoyed was bound to make the guy enjoy hanging around Fire Spirit even more. Sure, the god would need to go easy on him, he definitely didn’t want to harm or straight up kill Knight, after all.

But is not like a mortal could win against him, anyway. 

He would just make it so the blond could get some hits on him, make sure he had a good time before Fire Spirit would knock off his weapon and be declared the winner, simple like that, no way this could go wrong. 

And yet, catching a glimpse at Knight from the corner of his eyes, Fire Spirit could clearly see the other nervous expression, the hands closed next to his body, trying his best to avoid looking at the God, clearly with a lot on his mind. Fire Spirit frowned slightly, he knew it was normal for the guy to not fully trust him, but come on! He WAS trying his best here! Could Knight really not see he was just trying to help lift up his spirits? 

“-... Relax, buttercup.” Fire Spirit spoke, voice calm, while turning slightly to look at the other. “-We’re just going to train, you have my word I’m not going to hurt you or anything while doing it.” The god gave the human a genuine smile, trying his best to calm him down while they continued to walk towards the training area. 

Knight eyes shouted in surprise by the other suddenly speaking, head turning to look at the other smiling face. The human blinked for a few second, before nodding at the other words, sad smile on his face, before turning his eyes away from the other again. Fire Spirit words were heard loud and clear, and yet… Knight was still unsure of how much he could trust them.   
His self-preservation kept screaming how he should be careful, that anything the god did could be a trick. After all, WHY would he try to genuinely be nice to him after what he did? 

The blond could hear another part of him whispering in his head how it wasn’t fair to treat Fire Spirit like that, though. 

Yes, he had appeared and pretty much demanded to be given someone as a sacrifice of sorts, and by using that word, the implication that something awful would happen to the person was pretty clear. Knight saw first hand how the fire god could reduce someone to ashes with a snap of his fingers, the destruction he could do. A simple mortal man like Knight didn’t stand a chance against him.

  
And yet, so far? The god didn’t try anything. 

On the contrary, so far the god has been trying to get close to him. In his own weird way, but still, he didn’t truly present any danger to Knight. It was suspicious, Knight couldn’t deny that, but after all the time he spend with Fire Spirit, there was only one thing the blond could tell for sure about him.

And that was he had no idea WHAT to expect from Fire Spirit. He was unpredictable, difficult to read. 

So… Would it really be strange if the god turned out to be nothing like Knight expected him to? That somehow, Fire Spirit reasoning to demanding someone as a sacrifice was just to have some company of sorts back in his huge castle? Sure, he had Angel and Devil, but they were so young, maybe not the company the God was looking for.

Knight sighed, his reasoning made sense, but his self-preservation continued to scream in his head. The human wishes the god would just be more clear when it came to what his intentions were, so he wouldn’t have this internal dilemma.  
He deduced that, for now, he definitely shouldn't blindly trust Fire Spirit, specially when he didn’t know what to expect from the other.  
But he would… Try to understand him a little better. See what he was trying to do. It was the fair thing to do, anyway. Judging someone just because of what Knight expected them to be based on what he heard, is definitely not fair. 

So, Knight would try to understand what the god was trying to do, give him a chance.   
… Even if what he was trying to do right now was straight up fight against him. Which still made the human nervous, even with the god words assuring he wouldn’t harm him. 

Both males continued to walk through the large corridors, reaching their destination at the back area. At some point, they ran across Angel and Devil, both spirits were chasing each other, as Devil had taken Angel’s wand and was clearly having a blast running from the other trying to retrieve it, they both stopped when they saw the God and the human, curiously asking what they were up to. Once hearing from Fire Spirit that they were going to spar in the training area, their faces light up in curiosity, immediately asking if they could go with them to watch.   
Fire Spirit turned to Knight, as if asking if he had some problem with that, once the human shook his head, confirming he didn’t mind, the god gave the spirits his ok, and all four of them continued to make their way. 

Knight was trying to calm himself, he really was.   
Hearing Devil whispering how “they couldn’t wait to see Fire Spirit kicking the mortal to the ground” wasn’t really helping though. 

Still, he took a deep breath, attempting to calm his mind. It was fine, he would just fight like he always did. He didn’t expect to win, but at least giving the god a somewhat good spar was good enough for him. 

Before Knight could think or do anything else, the four of them had reached the training area.

Knight swallowed an invisible lump in his throat. He REALLY hoped he could trust the god on his word…

* * *

Fire Spirit was hoping having Angel and Devil nearby would somehow help Knight calm down, but maybe the comments and whispers going among the two little spirits wasn’t being all that helpful. He knew he couldn’t be mad at them for that though, it honestly was something he expected from Devil, to continue mentioning how Fire Spirit could easily take out and kill Knight if he wanted to without breaking a sweat. 

But right now, those comments REALLY weren’t helping, even with Angel trying their best to stop the other spirit from saying things like that. 

Taking a glance at Knight, who was standing a few meters in front of him, on the other side of the little makeshift arena they had, Fire Spirit could notice the other fidgeting with his hands, still clearly nervous.

It wasn’t supposed to go like this, Knight was supposed be excited to be training. Be happy after doing it…

Taking a deep breath, Fire Spirit began to walk across the arena to reach the other.  
“-Alright buttercup, we’re here!” He put one hand on the other shoulder, small smirk on his face. “-You ready?” 

“-I…” Knight bit his lip, averting his eyes from the God, frowning slightly. “-Is… This really a good idea…? You’re just going to defeat me in no time, right…? I… I don’t even have a weapon or anything...” He whispered, voice so low the god could only hear due to how close he was to begin with. 

Fire Spirit paused, eyes never leaving Knight’s, after a minute, the god replied in a low and calm voice. “-Hey. It’s alright! This is just for fun. You said you enjoyed training right? We…” The god paused again, biting his lip. “-We can just train in the targets and what not if you would prefer. I wasn’t planning on going all out on you anyway, but if you would rather not spar, I get it.” He let out a small smile, hand still on the other shoulder. He honestly wouldn’t want to force the guy to do something he didn’t want, that wouldn’t help him to earn his trust at all anyway.

… And maybe seeing Knight so upset and nervous like that wasn’t making Fire Spirit feel good either. But that was something no one other than the fire god himself needed to know. 

Knight kept staring at Fire Spirit in silence, processing the other words. That was really considerate… Again, something he wouldn’t have expected. He bit his lip again, he DID say he would try to understand the god a little better, right? To see what he was trying to do…

To maybe trust him a little more…

Fire Spirit said he wouldn’t hurt him while sparring before, and now he said it again. Knight should give him a chance, right? He couldn’t lie to himself, he DID miss training and sparring, even if it has been not even two days since he did it, he wouldn’t mind doing it, and if the God wasn’t lying when he said it was going to be alright…

“-N-no… It’s- It’s fine.” Knight finally said, voice low, small smile on his own face. “-I… Honestly miss doing something like this, I know it hasn’t been that long but…” He let out a quiet chuckle. “-I definitely had a lot in my mind lately, this could help.” He finished, small reassuring smile on his face, while he looked at the other. 

Fire Spirit found himself staring at the other blue eyes for way longer than he probably should have. He could feel once again his cheeks getting warmer.

...Should he start to worry about that…?

…

No. It was fine. He was just overjoyed that the guy was beginning to show signs of trusting him!

Yeah, that had to be it.

Finally, letting out a fake cough, the God turned away from Knight with a small nervous chuckle, making his way back to his side of the arena. “-W-well, alright then!” He turned his body back to look at the human. “-To make it even more fair, let’s both have the same weapon, how about it?” Before Knight could answer, he walked towards where Angel and Devil were quietly sitting, watching the whole situation.

“-Alright you rascals, can I trust you two to look after my staff for a while?” He kneeled down to be at the same eye level than them, smile on his face.

“-Of course!” Angel happy voice didn’t hesitate to answer, clapping their hands excited while their tail wagged happily. “-We’ll take good care of it!”

“-Oooh can we use it to shoot the targets over there?! I don’t wanna watch you beat the mortal down, that’s going to be over so fast anyway.” Devil asked, getting up and standing on the bench instead of sitting on it, sly smirk on their face and own tail waving as well. 

“-Absolutely not!” Fire Spirit replied, voice blank, but with a smirk never leaving his face. “-None of you would be able to handle the staff power, and you know it.”

“-Aaawn Come ooon! I could try to! You know I’m fireproof!” Devil whined, puffing their cheeks while staring frustrated at the god. 

Fire Spirit sighed. “-Is not a question about you being fireproof, Devil...” He slapped the top of the other slightly, not truly a hit, he basically just touched the other head with his hand. “-It’s about the staff having WAY more power than any of you can use, and me not feeling like cleaning your mess.” 

Devil sat down again with a huff, pout in their face while crossing their arms. “-FIIIINE!” They whined again. “-We’ll just look after your stupid staff while you kick the human’s butt.”

The god rolled his eyes, smile never really leaving his face. He chuckled slightly while leaving the staff next to the two spirits, leaning it towards the bench they were sitting at.   
Walking back towards the arena, Fire Spirit walked past Knight, who was just staring at what the god was doing quietly, to pick two swords that were kept in a nearby stand. The swords were completely blunt, couldn’t hurt anyone even if they tried, it was perfect for sparring. 

Walking back near Knight, the god offered him one of the swords, the human took it without much hesitation. “-See, those swords are completely blunt!” He pressed the blade part of the sword on his hand to demonstrate, and sure enough, the god hand was completely fine. “-I honestly don’t even know why I kept them, but hey! They definitely will be useful now, right?!” Fire Spirit turned to look back at Knight, who was inspecting his own sword, the happy smirk present in the god face. 

Knight continued to stare at his own sword, it definitely couldn’t cut anything, it WAS perfect for a sparring session like that. 

It didn’t ease how nervous he still was to do this, though.

Taking a deep breath, the human turned to look at Fire Spirit, small nervous smile on his face. “-Y-yeah… I guess that’s definitely better than an actual sword since we’re just sparring.” He let out a quiet chuckle.

The god grinned, fangs showing. “-Alright!” He quickly made his way back to his side of the arena. “-Sooo, let’s discuss how this will go, how about it?” He continued to grin, one hand holding the sword, while the other was at his hip. “-How about… The first to disarm his opponent and hit him, wins? We can even make it a best out of five!”

Knight was familiar with that form of sparring, having used it quite a few times, he could say he was pretty good at it.  
But then again, he was going against a God so…

Biting his lower lip before taking a deep breath, Knight held onto his sword, the familiar feeling of it feeling like second nature to him, he turned to look at the God grinning face. “-Sure. That seems good to me.” He replied, trying to sound confident. Knight knew the best out of five was probably just so the whole thing could last a little longer, he wasn’t expecting to win anyway.

Fire Spirit wanted him to do some training? Fine, he was going to do just that. It was time to spar, and he was going to give the other his best, mortal status be damned. 

The fire god smirked, truth be told, he really wasn’t used to fighting with a sword, relying mainly on his powers and staff to get a job done, but he knew the basics, and deduced it was good enough. “-I’ll make it even more fair to you, and promise to not use my god powers, buttercup~!” He winked at the other, who was already getting in position. When the only reply the God got from Knight was a huff and an angry pout, he let out a small laugh, before getting into position himself. 

Both males were staring at each other, a determined look on Knight, and a challenging one on Fire Spirit, from their places on the bench, the two little spirits were staring intensely, Devil with their arms crossed in disinterest, they expected this to be over soon. Angel meanwhile had a nervous look on their face, tail waving slightly, holding their head on their hands. 

Finally, after what felt like ages, Knight took a deep breath…  
And jumped towards the other direction. 

He was fast, Fire Spirit had to give him that. Quickly moving in a zigzag pattern while approaching the god, Knight kept the sword close to his body, eyes never leaving his target, Fire Spirit stood still, preparing for the other attack with a smirk on his face. Finally, when he was right in front of the god, Knight jumped slightly in the air, swinging the sword from the side of his body, aiming towards the other hand in an attempt to knock the sword away.   
The God was fast to react however, blocking the other hit with his own sword, and pushing Knight away from himself afterwards. Knight stumbled slightly, managing to keep his balance, he didn’t have much time to react as the God made his run towards him, swinging his own sword upwards to hit Knight.  
Knight acted on instinct, quickly lifting his own sword to block the attack, whoever he didn’t act fast enough, and then, Knight sword was flying away from his hand with the force of the impact. And before he could try to move and retrieve it from the ground, Fire Spirit had his own sword pressed towards his chest slightly.

“-First point goes to me, buttercup~” Fire Spirit chuckled, grinning slightly while winking at Knight’s direction. He then moved and picked the blond sword from the ground, giving it back to him before walking back towards his end of the arena. In the benches, Fire Spirit could hear Devil and Angel happily cheering and clapping, Angel small voice telling Knight to “not give up!” The god couldn’t help but chuckle at them.

Knight took back his sword, huffing in frustration, he could feel himself starting to sweat slightly. He should have expected the God to be fast, but it still caught him off guard. Shaking his head to clear away the frustrations, the human assumed his position again, holding onto the sword tightly with a determined look on his face, he could see Fire Spirit do the same. 

And once again, both were staring at each other, waiting for who would make the first move.   
And again, Knight was the one to run.

Taking a straight approach this time, the human ran towards the other, who again stood still, preparing for his attack. Holding onto his sword tightly, Knight launched himself with the sword towards Fire Spirit, using all the strength he could master to do so. 

Once more, Fire Spirit was fast to react, moving away from the other on the last second. The god secured his feet on the ground, standing behind Knight who was still lost in the momentum, he lifted his sword, ready to hit the other back.

But this time, Knight was faster as well.

As soon as he noticed the god moving, Knight was quickly to throw his body onto the ground, rolling to safety, making the God miss his swing as well. Keeping himself steady, he used his free hand to push himself from the ground, jumping back towards Fire Spirit, sword swinging again at full force.   
Fire Spirit was slightly shocked he missed his hit, but quickly recovered after seeing the other moving towards him again, blocking the hit with his sword, before doing a hit towards Knight himself. The human was fast though, and blocked the hit himself. Both continued to hit and block at each other, the faint “clank” coming from the swords and the human panting were the only sounds around.   
Knight continued to hit non-stop, sweat running down his forehead, he was slightly pushing the God, making him walk backwards.  
Fire Spirit let out a frustrated huff, concentrating his strength to block the other one more time, before pushing him back. The human kept the grip on his sword whoever, but before he could react and swing down again, Fire Spirit jumped to the side, quickly sliding behind the blond, kicking below his legs and making Knight trip down.

Not expecting the hit, Knight fell to the ground, managing to hold himself from not falling face first, but letting go of his sword, that went sliding away from him in the process.   
And before he could even get up, Fire Spirit sword was pressing against his back. 

“-Heh… Second point to me.” The God said between breaths, panting, clearly getting slightly tired from all the sparring himself. “-One more, and I win, buttercup.” He helped Knight up, smirk on his face. “-You okay there? Didn’t hurt yourself from the fall, did you?” Fire Spirit asked, voice low between his panting. 

Knight just squinted at the other in frustration, too tired to reply to his remarks, he was panting, sweat running down his face. “-Yeah, I’m fine…” He took a deep breath, cleaning some of the sweat from his face and dust from his knees, walking towards his sword and picking it up, he turned back to Fire Spirit, determined expression on his face. “-I can keep going.” 

He definitely could. This could be the final round, but honestly?! Knight didn’t mind. He honestly could feel himself feeling better just from this sparring session, unfair or not. The God obviously was a formidable opponent, no surprise there, the blond doesn't remember anyone back in the village being able to match him in speed like that.  
Again, he was against a God, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise, but he couldn’t deny he was finding the whole thing amazing. It had been ages since he was faced with an actual challenge while sparring. He couldn’t help the happy grin on his face. Stars, he missed this feeling.

Letting out a quiet laugh at his own thoughts, Knight assumed position again, holding the sword tightly. He stared at the god, a determined grin on his own face. 

Fire Spirit stared at Knight, surprised expression on his face.   
That guy definitely was something, huh?

Chuckling slightly while walking back to his place, the God stared at the other determined face. Fire Spirit knew the guy was the most skilled warrior in his village, even if he kept going with the “he was the chief son” story, the fire god knew the truth by now. So it wasn’t that much of a shock that he was amazingly skilled in swordfighting, that move of rolling away did caught Fire Spirit by surprise. 

Fire Spirit doesn't remember ever having this much fun while sparring with anyone. Yet, Knight definitely made the whole thing so much more interesting. 

Holding the sword in front of his body, getting into position as well, Fire Spirit stared back at the other, determined look on his own face.

Him winning was inevitable, but by the Gods, Fire Spirit WOULD make Knight have the time of his life while sparring, anyway! 

  
  


For the third time, Both were staring at each other, determination filling their eyes. From the side, Angel and Devil continued cheering, shouting excited at both males, Devil telling Fire Spirit to end this soon, while Angel kept telling Knight to believe in himself. 

The staring continued, both getting ready to whatever the other would try.  
And so, Knight moved first, yet again.

Determined expression still in his face, Knight ran towards the other, who was quick to take a defensive position, holding his sword tightly, he made his way quickly, stepping right in front of the God, he lifted his sword.

Fire Spirit quickly lifted his sword, ready to block the other attack.

But before any sword hit, Knight had quickly spinned, stepping towards Fire Spirit’s left side, swinging his sword towards the fire god back.

Caught by surprise, Fire Spirit didn’t have time to react, and before he could even fully turn, he was hit on the back by the other. 

Stumbling, Fire Spirit let out a pained hiss, but managed to stay put, still holding his sword, he quickly turned back to Knight, who was coming at him at full force again, sword being held tightly next to his body. 

The god held his ground again, deciding to stop blocking for a second, and attack himself, he waited until Knight was right in front of him, before swinging his sword from the side, attempting to knock out the human. 

But before the sword could hit its target, Knight had kneeled down, sliding on the ground next to Fire Spirit, missing the hit barely.  
Fire Spirit however wouldn’t be tricked twice, using the momentum of his swing, he attempted to turn and jump away from Knight’s swing.

But he was stopped by someone holding onto his cape. 

Eyes shouting in shock and gritting his teeth, Fire Spirit could feel himself being pulled to the ground by his cape, and in seconds, the god hit the ground with the side of his body, letting out a hiss as soon as he fell, falling on top of the arm that was holding his sword.

The sword, that went flying away from his hands. 

Fire Spirit quickly tried to turn and get a hold of the sword again, but he was stopped by a sword pressing towards his chest.

A heavy silent, apart from the panting sounds, reigned between them. From their seats, Devil and Angel were staring, mouths agape, in shock. 

Knight was equally shocked, mouth opened, panting and with sweat running down his forehead. He stared at the God matching shocked expression, still on the ground, holding himself up with his arms, Knight sword still pressed slightly towards his chest.

Did… Did Knight just…   
Did Knight just WIN A MATCH AGAINST A GOD?! 

Sure, it was a single point out of a best of five, but still! He didn’t expect to win any points at all!   
… Oh stars, what have he done. 

Gulping nervously, Knight took the sword away from the other, who continued to stare at him in disbelief, the human looked around anxiously. There was NO WAY that really happened, right?! No mortal can defeat a God, that’s basic knowledge! Surely Fire Spirit had let him win, right?! Yeah, that had to be it.   
He honestly hoped that was it, because the fear of the fire god just killing him in a fit of anger was suddenly haunting his mind. 

  
  


Meanwhile, Fire Spirit continued to stare, mouth agape, blinking slightly.

...He definitely didn’t plan that.

  
He was going easy on him, but he wasn’t trying to go for THAT! He knew Knight was skilled, alright?! But he didn’t expect the human to actually make him drop his weapon and get a hit on him!   
No normal human could have gotten a hit on him! 

… But Knight was far from any “normal human” Fire Spirit had ever seen. 

And Fire Spirit would be lying if he said he wasn’t mesmerized by it. 

  
Yes, the guy, the MORTAL just kicked his butt.  
… But DANG, was the way he did it amazing. Just when Fire Spirit thought he knew what to expect from the blond, he pull out a move like that. 

Biting his lip, Fire Spirit pulled himself up, expression blank. He could see Knight nervous expression while he stared at him, fear glimpsing behind those blue eyes. Without saying a word, the god picked his sword, and walked to his side of the arena.

Knight continued to stare, not knowing if he should say anything, he couldn’t tell if he was sweating from all the workout, or if it was from his anxiety of not knowing what the God was going to do.

Fire Spirit stopped, back turned to Knight, barely moving a muscle. There was a pause, before his voice was heard. “-... Two points to me and one to you, buttercup.” He finally turned, small smirk on his face. “-I’m still winning. Get ready.” His voice was cold, while he got in position, holding the sword tightly.

Knight continued to stare in shock, was… Was he really not going to address what happened?! Where they just suppose to continue until there was an actual winner?! Just what--

Before his train of thought could continue, the blond was caught by surprise by Fire Spirit beginning to sprint towards him.

Letting out a shocked gasp, Knight barely had the time to react, the other was swinging his sword up, towards Knight head, who managed to block the attack, still, since he wasn’t really ready for it, he could feel himself losing his balance on his foot.  
Fire Spirit continued to attack, fast and precisely, not giving space for Knight to attack back. The God then jumped back, and just as fast, before Knight could do anything, he was swinging his sword towards the other hand. Making Knight lose the grip on his sword while letting out a hiss in pain.

The sword hit the ground with a loud clunk, and before Knight could even notice, Fire Spirit grabbed Knight by the front of his outfit, pulling him close towards himself, pressing his blade towards the other throat.

Face centimeters apart, with just the blunt blade between them, they both stared at each other, panting. 

Knight couldn’t take the eyes away from the piercing red ones. He should be scared, right?! He was! He definitely knew part of him was currently terrified.  
… But another part of him couldn’t stop staring at the God red eyes, in wonder.

They were as bright as some of the flowers around the castle.

Fire Spirit wasn’t any better, mouth closed in a thin line, he kept staring at the other eyes.  
Such blue colors were usually associated with large pools of water, which was something the fire god DEFINITELY wanted nothing to do with, and would gladly stay as far as he could from it.

… But he couldn’t stare away from these blue eyes, he felt part of him not minding to get lost on them. 

  
  


Finally, after what felt like ages, but were actually just seconds, the silence between both males was cut by the loud cheering of the minor spirits nearby. Angel happily shouting how amazing the whole spar was, and Devil pointing how they knew how it was going to end anyway, but it was fun to watch regardless. 

Taking in a breath, Fire Spirit removed the sword from Knight’s throat, safely setting the other on the ground, he turned away from him, feeling his cheeks warm again.  
“-Uh… G-good sparring session, buttercup…!” The god spoke, still not looking at him, voice cracking slightly. “-I… Hope you had fun!” He finally looked at Knight, nervous smile on his face, before going to pick up the human lost sword to return them to their rightful places. 

Knight continued to stare, he could feel his own cheeks blushing slightly from what had just happened.  
Did he have fun? Was that really what the god was asking?!

…

Because he did.

He honestly was tired beyond belief, in a desperately need of a bath, and he could feel a lot of parts in his body in pain.  
But he was also feeling much lighter, more content.   
Don’t get him wrong, he still had a lot of questions clouding his mind, perhaps even some new ones, but for now? He genuinely had a good time. 

“-Y-yeah… I… I did.” Knight replied, fidgeting with his hands, voice low, but was enough for the God to hear. “-... Thank you.” He added, small happy smile on his face, while avoiding the other gaze.

Fire Spirit paused, he had put the swords back on their place, and now had walked back to retrieve his staff from Angel and Devil side, the little spirits meanwhile bombarding him with questions that he honestly couldn’t make out half of the words.  
“-Y-You’re welcome!” He turned back to Knight, trying his best to sound confident. “-Y...Ya’know… I WAS hoping you would be. Especially after… I… Let you win, that one round. Yeah.” The God cleared his throat. “-Was hoping to like, raise your confidence and what not. Obviously.” He let out a nervous laugh, one hand holding his staff tightly, while the other scratched behind his neck.

“-O-Oh! Right.” Knight let out a small laugh of his own. Of course. He was glad to know that was the case. There was no way he could have won that. “-I… Appreciate you doing that for me. I do feel better…” He gave the fire god a genuine smile. “-I mean, I feel pain all over, and I DEFINITELY need a bath and a new set of clothes but…” Knight let out a chuckle. “-Is the best I’ve felt in a while.” 

The god let out a laugh. “-Oh, yeah… Don’t worry, I’ll get some healing medicine ready while you take a shower, that should ease the pains and what not.” He turned to the small spirits, still staring at him. “-Uuuh, Angel, Devil, would you too mind getting the ingredients ready? Small dosage, for a mortal, you two know the deal, right…?” Fire Spirit asked, nervous smile on his face.

Devil frowned at him, they had a lot of questions they wanted to ask, not just about the sparring, but about the way the fire god has been acting lately in general.  
They weren’t dumb, they noticed the way he acted around the mortal.  
But before they could, Angel happy voice interrupted.

“-S-sure!” They clapped their hands. “-W-we’ll get them in no time, right Devil?” They turned towards the other, who was still squinting at Fire Spirit. 

“-... Yeah, sure.” Devil replied in a quiet voice, they knew there was no way the god would answer anything now, anyway, might as well get stuff done. They hopped away from the bench, moving towards the castle, Angel quickly following behind. 

Fire Spirit watched them go. His cheeks still felt warm. Well, warmer than normal, at least.  
He REALLY should stop thinking about what that could mean. 

“-W-well! Go on buttercup, go get cleaned up! I’ll go ahead and make sure you have something to eat as well, so…” He began to float towards the castle, taking one last glance towards Knight. “-No need to hurry! Feel free to take your time. See ya!” And before the human could reply, he was gone.

Knight continued to stare, mouth closed in a thin line. Well, he figured there was nothing else he could do anyway. Taking a deep breath, he made his way towards the castle as well.

Trying to not focus on how his mind kept making him remember those piercing red eyes, and how his heart seemed to beat faster because of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, fighting scenes are DEFINITELY not my specialty, but I hope what I did was good enough daslkjakd


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a slight time skip, Knight have been living with the fire god and his troublemaking little spirits for seven days now. 
> 
> And both him, and said fire god, are starting to come to some realizations about themselves that has them slightly panicking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! And yes, I made a time jump from the last chapter to this one because...  
> ...  
> I realized I definitely didn't have enough ideas to what happened during ALL 12 days Knight needed to stay with FS soo...
> 
> Time jump pfff
> 
> Still, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! As always, thanks for the support everyone!

_Heat.  
_ _Unbearable heat._

_That’s all Knight could feel around him._

_He could hear screams and cries, alongside the terrifying roar of a beast, so big in size, he couldn’t see its face even when fully looking up. The beast flames and growls were the only indication it was still there._

_Knight was petrified. The flames so high, closing up on him, making it impossible for him to run far even if he wanted to.  
_ _Those pinkish flames all around made him feel like he was in hell._

_He could feel his face wet, but he couldn’t tell if it was because he was crying, or sweating from the heat._

_Probably both._

_He broke from his trance when a tree suddenly fell right next to him, missing him barely, in the surprise, Knight fell on his back, hissing in pain, he tried to use his arms to support himself, but between the wreckage and flames all around him, he was unlucky enough to fall right at the top of some broken wood planks, still hot from the heat that had brought them down. His hands piercing through some of the splinters and broken pieces, it wasn’t that bad, but it was enough to have him grunting in pain again, right hand bleeding slightly. Knight stared at the hand, frowning, making sure it wasn’t badly injured._

_Then suddenly, there was a loud rumble in front of him, making him lost balance and fall on his back again, hissing in pain._

_He quickly looked up, and once again, could feel himself freezing in fear._

_The beast was there, right in front of him. Even so close, he still couldn’t make its form properly, it was huge, that was for sure, looked more animal than man, but its whole body was just dark as shadows and blurry. Knight couldn’t make out a single feature of it._

_...Apart from one.  
_ _Piercing red eyes._

_Letting out a gasp, Knight could feel tears running down his eyes, and that he was shaking. He was trying so desperately to breath, which was turning to be a challenge getting harder and harder, between all the smoke around him, and the clear panic attack he was starting to have._

_While his chest raised up and down frantically in his panic, Knight continued to stare at the beast piercing red eyes. It was just standing there, staring down at him, while the flames continues to dance and close around them.  
_ _Then suddenly, Knight could see another feature on the beast._

_A terrifying, fanged grin._

_The beast let out a chuckle, low and dangerous, Knight jumped slightly in fear, he couldn't move. His brain was screaming for him to get up and run, but his legs wouldn’t obey him no matter what._

_So he just stood there. On the ground, paralyzed, shaking and crying, while staring at the beast grinning face._

_The beast suddenly took a deep breath, head turning upwards slightly. Knight opened even more his eyes in fear, somehow, he knew what was coming next.  
_ _And then, the beast moved its head towards Knight again, mouth opening, releasing a burst of pinkish flames towards his direction._

_Knight let out a scream, arms moving in front of his head a futile attempt to protect himself. He closed his eyes, waiting for the hellish flames to take him, hoping it would end soon._

_…But nothing happened._

_Opening his eyes slightly, still shaking in fear, Knight took a peak between his arms that were in front of his face, trying to see just what happened. Was it so fast he didn’t even realize it? Was he dead?_

_He then let out a gasp of shock, staring at what was in front of him._

_It was another form he couldn’t make much of the features, it looked humanoid, whoever.  
_ _It stood there, in front of him, looking at the beast while shielding away the flames._

_Protecting him._

_The flames were still all around him, but were missing him entirely, Knight could only feel their heat, and stare at the form in front of him, mouth open in shock and awe._

_Suddenly, the scenario around him seemed to change, the destruction and flames slowly fading away, giving place to a beautiful greenery with a huge field of yellow flowers, blue skies, and a gentle breeze passing by._

_Knight realized he wasn’t on the ground anymore, he was standing up, not a single trace of injury on him. He looked around, taking the view around him, the blond then took a look at the flowers._

_Opening his eyes in surprise, he realized they were buttercups._

_  
__He kept staring at them, he didn't know why, but he felt like they meant something huge. Something important._

_Knight broke away from his thoughts when he heard steps coming towards him, looking ahead, he saw that same humanoid form, making its way towards him.  
_ _There were flames dancing around them. But so much calmer and controlled than the hellish flames from before._

_Part of Knight expected him to be terrified, afraid of what the other form could do.  
_ _But to his surprise, Knight was feeling calm. At peace._

_Safe._

_The heat radiating from the form wasn’t the same unbearable from before, it was… Comforting. Warm...  
_ _The form stopped in front of him. Knight still couldn’t make a single feature on them other than their humanoid shape, and the flames around them._

_And so, like he couldn’t control himself, Knight was suddenly embracing the form in front of him, who quickly wrapped their arms around him as well. The form was gently pressing their fingers through his blond locks, gently stroking them, while Knight rested his head on where the other shoulder most likely was, hugging them tightly._

_That comforting heat was embracing him even more now as the form had their arms around him, hugging him like a warm blanket. Knight felt safe, like all his worries were pushed away, like all he wanted to do was continuing to be near the other presence._

_The form was then gently pushing Knight head away from their shoulder, having him look at them. Knight gazed at them surprised, as the once featureless form suddenly had small features he could make out._

_Red eyes, and a comforting smile on their face, were staring at Knight, eyes full of bliss._

_Full of love._

_Knight couldn’t help but smile himself._

_The other had one hand gently stroking Knight cheek with their thumb, while the other was pulling him close to themselves by his hip. Knight meanwhile, wrapped his arms around the other neck, happily pulling them close as well._

_Their faces were getting close, lips centimeters apart, Knight could feel the warmth, so inviting.  
_ _He closed his eyes, the hand that was on his cheek had move to his neck, pulling his head closer and closer._

_Knight lips were almost touching the other, he could feel their breath through their partially open mouth. So close… It was so close. Knight felt himself wanting to feel those lips against his immediately._

_Their lips touched slightly._

And then everything went dark.

* * *

Knight woke up, gasping, heart beating fast and face completely red, pulling the covers away from him. 

… WHAT just happened?!

What was that dream he just had?! 

It started so awfully, like the other nightmares he had every now and then for the past few days, but that ending…

Knight gulped, he could feel his face still hot from embarrassment. 

Bringing his knees close to himself, Knight let out a loud sigh, before resting his red face between his knees. 

That… Figure. Why it felt so familiar?  
Why did Knight felt so SAFE around them? Why did they save him from the dangerous beast from the beginning?

...Why did he want to kiss them so badly…?

Groaning, Knight sank his head deep into his knees, hugging them tightly. He would much rather continue to have those terrifying nightmares over this.

...Ok, that was a lie. He would much rather have pleasant dreams about hugging and kissing a mysterious figure over the awful nightmares of hellish flames burning him alive. 

Lifting his head, Knight took a glance at the clock standing at the nightstand on his left. The clock that Fire Spirit happily got him two days ago after Knight shared one morning at the breakfast table, how not being able to tell what time it was annoyed him. 

The fire god had gotten him a clock just a few hours after that. 

Staring at the clock hands, Knight could tell it was almost 7 AM. He was definitely glad his internal clock had gotten used to the weird time around the Gods realm pretty quickly, making him start to wake up at a reasonable hour again after his third night sleeping here. 

The blond could hardly believe he has been living with the fire god for seven days now. 

If anyone told him he still would be alive after giving himself up for the God, seven days ago, Knight would have never believed them.   
And yet, here he was. Alive, and well. 

Better than well, actually.   
He was… Surprisingly happy? Happier than he remembers being in a long time, at least. 

Knight obviously loved his life back at the village, he loved his friends and home, but still, he also worried so much all the time. He had to always be at his best form, as he was looking to be Princess personal guard, he couldn’t make mistakes. He always needed to be on his best behavior, study for countless hours, making sure everyone was happy and safe.

Putting their needs in front of his in a lot of occasions. 

He never really minded, ready to do it in a heartbeat, it was why he didn’t hesitate to put himself in front of Princess when the fire god appeared, anyway. 

But now that he has been living with said fire god? 

He found himself enjoying it. 

Obviously he still missed his friends, but life within the Gods realm has been surprisingly well.   
Sure, it had a rough start, it still wasn’t completely smooth, but it was definitely better. After the “sparring session” he and the god had on his second day here, things slowly began to change. Knight still didn’t dare to challenge the fire god, obviously, but he began to try to trust him more. 

Trying to understand just WHO Fire Spirit really was. To attempt to understand what he could expect from him. 

It wasn’t a surprise to see the god was just full of himself most of the time, an egocentric mess who default expression seemed to be an irritating smirk. He radiated an aloof energy, as if he couldn’t care about other people problems if it didn’t interfere with him directly. He would know exactly what to say and do to make someone angry. 

And yet, Knight began to see there was more to him than just that.

There was also a side that clearly cared way too much about what he was doing, always trying to prove his best to anyone. Knight obviously haven’t seen Fire Spirit interacting with the other Gods, but he remembers what Angel told him.

_“Fire Spirit seems bad and rude, but he’s honestly really nice! He’s always trying to prove himself to the other Gods, to have them respect him as an equal, that’s why he does some of the things he do...”_

Those were the words the small spirit shared with Knight the other day, when Fire Spirit had once again gone to meet with the other Gods for some reason.   
Knight was skeptical at first after hearing that, still working towards trusting the guy, but as the days went, he began to see there was a bit of truth behind those words.

Yes, Fire Spirit could be an irritating mess full of himself most of the time.  
But he ALSO was a strangely caring person, who worried way too much about others. 

He clearly cared about Angel and Devil, always looking out for the two, making sure they were safe and happy. A sentiment both little spirits clearly reciprocated in their own way.   
He cared about them, and they were happy to be under his care. 

And Knight found himself truly admiring it. 

Caring for others was part of his nature, again, he never hesitated to put other needs in front of his own.

It was… Strange to have someone doing that to HIM.

Yes, Fire Spirit obviously didn’t care about Knight on the same level he did Angel and Devil, which was understandable, those two were way younger, even in God’s terms, as Knight had learned, they needed more help and guidance to know what to do and to get out of trouble, like any other child did.  
Yet, the fire god clearly cared about Knight to a degree. 

The whole situation is still SO weird to Knight. After years of being forced to do all that reading about the Gods and what not, he obviously never expected to be treated like this by one. Fire Spirit let mistakes that he could’ve easily used as an excuse to kill Knight slip past him so many times, more than once the human thought he was done for, due to something he said or did in front of the other, only to end up having the God laugh or shrug him off. Like it was absolutely nothing. 

Because apparently, it really wasn’t.  
Fire Spirit laid back attitude went further than Knight had expected. 

It still had the human nervous to say something wrong around him regardless, but after a while, Knight realized, he wasn’t nervous to have Fire Spirit caught him saying or doing something wrong because he was a God, no.

Apparently, Knight was afraid to disappoint anyone around him, maybe just like the fire god himself. 

The realization came to him out of nowhere, around his fourth night in the castle, while laying in bed awake. Pondering again about Fire Spirit actions and attitude towards him, thinking why the god would excuse his rude behavior like that.  
He came to the conclusion it was because Fire Spirit really didn’t care. He saw nothing wrong or disrespectful about the things Knight did. He saw the comments and remarks as just an extension of who Knight was. 

And that made Knight realize just how much he always tried to have others see him as someone else. Someone noble, respectful, who did nothing wrong.

Someone people could value as worthy. 

Knight had been nervous about what he said around people, even before he came to be in the Gods realm, living with a God. 

He couldn’t go as far and say Fire Spirit saw him as an equal, they weren’t after all, Knight was aware of that, but still, the fire god was trying his best to have the mortal comfortable enough around him, in his own way.   
What seemed like a really suspicious forced behavior in the first three days he was here, slowly began to appear… More natural. If at first the god appeared to be trying to have Knight be around him by force, he slowly began to give him space, not sneaking up on him as much, listening to what the mortal had to say.

The awkward conversations he had with the god on the early days, were nowadays really pleasant. 

They would talk about random stuff, from Knight adventures in the village, to Fire Spirit’s own adventures with the other Gods and what not. Fire Spirit would explain to him some stuff about the Gods and their realm in general, while Knight would tell him some stuff about the mortals in return. 

Knight found that a lot of the questions he had in his mind, were either being forgotten, marked as unimportant, or being answered. 

Some other times, they would just sit together, quietly. Angel and Devil joining them every now and then, making both males focus more on the small spirits shenanigans than anything, listening to them excitedly telling them about how their magic was improving, or the prank they were thinking of doing. Random stuff they were happy to share with them. 

It was honestly nice. Calm. Knight found himself really enjoying those quiet moments. 

It was also nice to see that other side of Fire Spirit from up-close.   
Genuinely smiling, while listening to Angel and Devil, or even when talking to Knight himself. The god still would pull comments in an attempt to pull the mortal nerves, Knight noticed, but at this point, he knew the God wasn’t really serious in his words, making the blond just roll his eyes at the other, with a smile on his own face. Which usually would have Fire Spirit chucking as well, again, clearly not offended.

In fact, on the rare occasions that one of the God comments or jokes had genuinely made Knight uncomfortable of upset, Fire Spirit quickly seemed to catch up, he wouldn’t need to apologize right out, but he would never pull another joke of the same type, quickly stopping with them. Which Knight really appreciated, again, he wasn’t used to people putting HIS needs in front of theirs. 

Knight found he didn’t even mind Fire Spirit little “nickname” for him.   
_“Buttercup.”  
_ …  
Like the field of buttercup flowers from his dream. 

Knight sighed. Frowning, he could feel his cheeks getting red again, now that the memories of the dream were returning to his mind. How calm and happy a stupid little dream made him feel. 

Still hugging his knees, Knight shily brought one hand to his lips, eyes distant. It felt so real, the warmth of the mysterious figure next to him still haunting him. He found himself missing the comforting warmth even while covering himself with the blankets from the bed. It wasn’t the same.

It wasn’t **HIM**.

Knight wasn’t dense, he wasn’t stupid as some might think. He could quickly connect the dots and clues his own subconscious was presenting to him.   
That figure, the place they were in, they clearly meant something. 

They clearly represented something, SOMEONE.

And there was only one person Knight could think off. He only knew one being with fiery red eyes who radiates a comforting warmth like that.

And that had him **TERRIFIED**. 

It has to be a joking he was playing on himself, right?! There was no way he was stupid enough to be falling for HIM.  
There was no way he was falling for a GOD, right?! 

Surely, he knew such thing was impossible, like the fire god would ever feel something for him, a mortal. Besides, he still wasn’t sure what Fire Spirit was planning to do with him anyway. 

That’s the only question that never left his mind, that was never answered. 

Yes, the God was treating Knight well, being friendly, but who knew if it was a permanent thing?! Even if it was, Fire Spirit treating him well didn’t mean anything. He was being FRIENDLY, with a friend.

...Did Knight consider Fire Spirit to be his friend by now…?  
…  
Well, he apparently had a crush on the guy, so friendship was most likely a possibility between them at this point. 

Look, Knight wasn’t really big on crushes, he can’t remember if he ever had one. He always focused on his duties, what he wanted to be, not WHO he wanted to be WITH. Not like that anyway. Even if some of the elders in the village were sure he and Princess would end up together, Knight never could see himself settling down with the pink haired girl, luckly, she seemed to share the sentiment, having stated more than once that she cared for Knight as a brother, which made him feel relieved she wasn’t letting the pressure of other words move her. 

She WAS a hopeless romantic though. And more than once, she also tried to set up Knight with people she thought would “fit perfectly” with him.   
It obviously never lead to anything, Knight could appreciate her efforts, but none of the people the other introduced ever clicked with him. They were nice, sure, but to the blond, love was a distraction. Not something he had the time to focus on, so he never paid them much time.   
Princess would sigh, clearly disappointed her little “match-up plans” didn’t work, but she would quickly shrug it off, telling Knight rushing things was dumb, anyway. She truly believed he would find love when he less expected it.

… Well, looking where he is now, he guessed she was right. 

It didn’t make the whole thing suck less, though.   
I mean, really! WHY did he start feeling like that anyway?! Why now? Why with HIM?!

...He remembers Princess saying how the heart doesn’t choose who to love, it just does it when you meet the right person.

Well, Knight would love to have a talk with his stupid heart, because clearly, it wasn’t aware of the situation here. 

Yes, Knight couldn’t deny Fire Spirit WAS stupidly attractive. One would even say he was hot.  
… You know… Because he’s literally a FIRE God.   
…  
… Oh Gods, Knight is even starting to make the same stupid jokes he does. 

But there's no way that was it right? It couldn’t have just been the other looks. No, of course not. Knight is definitely not one to fall for looks alone.   
… It was mainly because of who Fire Spirit was. Who he REALLY was.  
Who was starting to open up more and more around him. The caring and charismatic idiot who made stupid jokes and pulled even stupider pranks when he had the chance, that took into consideration how the ones around him were feeling, even if he didn’t show it.

The idiot who was slowly turning into someone Knight deeply cared about.

No matter how loud part of him was screaming for him to be careful, to not fall for it, that it was all a trick…  
An even bigger part of him kept pushing those thoughts away.  
And Knight found himself listening to that bigger part instead of the screaming one. 

He didn’t have a chance, he was well aware of it. Honestly, he was hoping this was some stupid silly crush that would go away and that happened because Fire Spirit has been the only other adult he has been interacting with. Not only that, he was someone who seemed to care about him and was pretty nice, and without his normal duties to focus, Knight was falling for him. 

...Knight REALLY hoped, for his own sake, that this crush would fade away. 

  
  


Sighing, the blond lifted his head up, stretching his legs on the bed, he took a glance to the clock, shocked to see it was already passed 8:30 AM. Seems he was caught in his head and thoughts for way too long. He really should be getting up, he would hate to let the other three residents waiting for him for breakfast.

Because yes, all four of them, the human, God, and two Minor Spirits, apparently decided having breakfast together was some tradition of sorts, even when the other three didn’t need to eat, they would just sit at the table, speaking happily, while Knight finished eating. 

And yet, with all he had in his mind, Knight felt like he could stay in bed for the whole day. Not that he would, he doubt he would be able to even if he had the chance, the need to get up and do something would get to him eventually, but it was the first time the idea even appeared in his mind.   
Getting up from his bed, Knight stayed sitting on it, feet touching the carpet next to his bed and eyes distant, frowning slightly. His body felt heavy, like the weight of his thoughts were down on him at full force. For the first time in ages, he was at an absolutely lost on what to do, and he hated that. He didn’t know what to do about the fire god, about his stupid crush on said fire god, or even how to face him at this point. And that feeling was awful. 

Groaning, the blond brought his hands to his face, messing with his hair in frustration. Why did Princess fail to tell him how being in love SUCKED?! That feeling was awful, he wanted nothing to do with it. He was just trying to do his best and survive here, he didn’t plan to fall in love with the God he was living with! 

...And yet, that feeling made him stupidly happy for some reason. 

Shaking his head, he decided that was enough time wasted with those thoughts. Getting up, he opened the curtains, letting the sunlight in. Making his way to the dresser, grabbing a new set of clean clothes, he was ready to make his way to the bathroom, when a golden blink from the nightstand caught his attention.

It was the necklace Fire Spirit had him wear all time.  
...He remembers the god explaining how the necklace basically meant “Knight was with him.” That it matched the one he wore. 

And that stupid feeling made him think about that phrase in a different context than what the other had told him in.   
Huffing in annoyance, Knight could feel his cheeks getting warmer again. He REALLY just wanted to take a shower and forget about that for now. So, he continued his way to the bathroom.

After stopping near the nightstand and grabbing the necklace, of course. He still had to use it all times, after all.

* * *

Fire Spirit was currently locked in his room, sinking on his bed.   
He wasn’t sleeping, of course not, he didn’t felt like sleeping. 

Not when he was literally panicking right now.

Things were… Taking a turn he couldn’t have been prepared for in a million years. 

The last few days? They were honestly amazing! Fire Spirit had managed to slowly but surely understand Knight, to get close to him and actually earn his trust. He understood what made Knight uncomfortable, when he was going to far, what made the other happy, and sure enough, the human was opening up around him more, genuinely laughing and smiling, like they knew each other for ages now, just as Fire Spirit expected he would.

...He DID NOT expect those strange feelings of his to appear, whoever. 

He doesn’t know how or when, but somehow, he found himself REALLY enjoying the mortal’s company.  
Like, REALLY enjoying it.  
Enjoying it as _“Wow, I honestly wouldn’t mind holding him close to me, caressing his hair and maybe even doing some kissing right now.”_

And that was **BAD**. 

Fire Spirit didn’t forget the reason Knight was here or why he had been trying to get close to him to begin with, he doubt he could, it has been the chance he was waiting for ages now, his dream for centuries. 

But now, with every new day closing to the deadline he was given, that dream seemed to be turning into a nightmare.

When this whole thing started, Fire Spirit was sure he could do it. Sacrificing a simple human? Sure! No problem. He could do it, no sweat. He didn’t care about a simple mortal’s life if it meant he finally would become a proper God.  
… That definitely changed now that Knight is the mortal he is supposed to be killing. 

Again, he didn’t expect this, he didn’t expect to actually enjoy the other company that much.  
But from these past days, the blond continued to enchant him even more.

The god can’t tell when it happened for sure, it probably happened gradually in these seven days he was around. He know he really hated him on day one, after learning he tricked him, and that he had to go out of his way to get close to him. But then, things changed when he actually began to work towards him. Maybe it was when Fire Spirit began to notice the other determination, that “never giving up” attitude, even when dealing with him, a God, (well, technically a DEMIgod. But Knight didn’t know that.) he still tried to keep his ground, to not let his fear show.   
Or perhaps was the way he acted around Angel and Devil, those genuine smiles and calm expressions, how at peace he seemed to be even with everything going on, and even when he clearly was anxious for not knowing what fate had in store for him. 

And then there was also the day he literally managed to take Fire Spirit down once when they were sparring.  
Call him what you want, but the fire god was NOT denying how amazing that was.   
Yes, he know any other God would have killed Knight the second that happened. He should have felt humiliation beyond belief. Losing to a mortal carried a shame so low that Gods could easily live in isolation the rest of their immortal lives for that. 

But then again, no God Fire Spirit knew would bring themselves as low as he apparently was. Talking to Knight casually, like they were old friends.

It was a little difficult for Fire Spirit to do it at the beginning, but that was mainly because he wasn’t that used to socializing anyway. But after a while, he found that talking to Knight was incredibly easy, like second nature.

And that it made him incredibly happy as well.   
Especially when Knight himself began to lose up around him, laughing at his stupid remarks, rolling his eyes and smiling at Fire Spirit stupid jokes.

Not minding being around him for who he was, not WHAT he was.

Yes, to Knight, he was a God, and sometimes, Fire Spirit could see the human still having doubts about his approaches. He couldn’t blame him, though, the first impression Knight had of him WAS him demanding a human sacrifice after burning down his home village, so yeah.

It was fair for him to not fully trust Fire Spirit yet.   
But he trusted him enough to be calmer around him, to talk with him without fidgeting his hands, without nervously keeping his eyes away from him.  
To genuinely smile, be happy, and talk with him. 

And that made Fire Spirit feel awful.   
Because he still was just leading him to his death. All so he could become a proper God.

…  
Fire Spirit felt himself questioning if it really was worth it.

Knight has been the first person in ages he truly felt comfortable around, that he could share pretty much anything with, without worry of being judged or seen as weak. 

...He really was starting to feel like he wouldn’t be able to do it, even if he tried.  
He wouldn’t be able to kill Knight, because Knight was becoming someone special to him. 

Someone he cared truly about. 

And that was **Terrifying**. 

Fire Spirit can only imagine and fear what the others would say, what PITAYA would do. He knew the Red God expected him to do it, if anything, so he would “stop being an embarrassment for them” as they would always so lovely put it.

If he came up and said he couldn’t kill a human, that he couldn't kill Knight…  
They would, without a doubt, not only kill Knight, but kill Fire Spirit as well.

And yet, the fire god couldn’t imagine allowing that to happen. He couldn’t imagine himself actually doing it. 

He didn’t want to imagine the heartbroken expression on Knight’s face if he found out what Fire Spirit has been planning all this time. The reason he had began to get close to him. 

Not now, that Fire Spirit was clearly falling for the guy.

He still couldn’t believe it, but it was true, clear as crystal, even.   
Fire Spirit had fallen for Knight.

Again, he has no idea when it truly happened, but it just did while the days passed, he supposed. Every little thing Knight did, every little thing Fire Spirit began to realize and notice about the other, all of that combined, made the fire god begin to really see him in another light. 

To care about him way more than he should’ve had. 

To truly enjoy his company, his voice, his smiles. Pretty much EVERYTHING about the mortal. 

  
  


Fire Spirit groaned, grabbing one of his pillows and pressing it against his face in frustration. Falling in love like this was NOT something he was expecting to happen, specially not with a mortal.

Gods falling in love isn’t ALL that uncommon. Yes, it doesn’t happen all that often, but Fire Spirit himself knows some Gods that happily are in a relationship.

With each other. With another God.

No God he met has ever shown romantic interest towards a mortal like he is right now. After all, an immortal falling for a mortal, is just setting themselves for an eventual heartbreak when the mortal passes away, right?

...He can almost hear Ananas angry voice pointing how that is just another thing that makes him a failure not worthy of being called a God, at the back of his head. 

Fire Spirit is aware he shouldn’t feel like that. Being with Knight is impossible, no matter how much it hurts to say it, it's the truth. Knight’s presence has been noted by other Gods, and said Gods are waiting for Fire Spirit to come through and kill him at the right time.

They are waiting for Knight’s death. And if Fire Spirit doesn’t do it, one of them definitely will.   
And Fire Spirit is scared beyond belief because of that.

Even if the threat of the other Gods looming over them wasn’t there, being with Knight STILL would be impossible… Sure, they could be together, stay happily with one another for a few years…  
But time would catch up with Knight eventually, and take the blond away from the fire god..

He could have lived a happy life with Fire Spirit, but the fire god knows he would be miserable afterwards. 

  
  


Fire Spirit doesn’t even try to hold back the tears making their way to his face. 

The only small chance Fire Spirit sees? Is taking Knight back. Away from him, away from the Gods.

It does mean he would need to tell him the truth, whoever, so Knight can warn his village, and have them move as far as they can, because the Gods WOULD go after their village, after him, if they didn’t.

He didn’t expect that just thinking about it would hurt like this. 

He still would be hurting Knight. He still would be in so much trouble, he could probably even die at the hand of the other Gods himself…  
But there was a slim chance Knight could make it. He could live a happy life. 

Without him. 

  
  


He knew it was the best thing to do, to let Knight go and live his life…

But he couldn’t bring himself to truly think about it.  
Fire Spirit was too selfish, he hated that he couldn’t imagine letting the other go, now that he was someone so special to him. 

That still meant he had to think of a solution. Knight days were still being counted.

And the fire god mind was a complete chaos right now. completely clouded between the panic of losing the other, and the way he felt towards him. 

Fire Spirit quickly got up, sitting on his bed, one hand on his head while the other was clenching the fabric around his chest. He could feel himself hyperventilate, panicking. 

He had to think of a solution, he HAD to, he couldn’t let Knight die, he couldn’t let the one he loved DIE LIKE THIS!

The fire god closed his eyes, trying to calm his breath. He needed to calm down, this wasn’t helping anyone. He needed to calm down, so he could clear his mind and actually think of a good solution.

… He needed to talk with someone. He needed to vent with someone who could understand and maybe help him.  
…  
He realized there was no one he knew like that.

Well.. There was one person he could try talking with. He may not given the advice he was looking for, but he would listen to his vent. 

If he didn’t pierce him with his arrows before Fire Spirit could even get the first word out, of course. 

Biting his lip, Fire Spirit deduced it was worth trying. For Knight, if nothing else. Getting up, shaking the last of his panic away, the fire god grabbed his staff from its stand nearby, making his way out from his room and downstairs, he was shocked to see Knight wasn’t down yet, since it was already 8AM. He didn’t question it though, figuring it was better if he didn’t see the other while the signs of panic were still clear in his face.   
He came across Angel and Devil though, who clearly could see something was wrong with him, and Angel was quick to ask what was wrong, voice filled with worry. The god attempted to give them the best reassuring smile he could manage, shrugging them off, saying it was nothing, before saying he needed to head out.

Devil was the one to jump in and ask where he needed to go in such a hurry. 

Fire Spirit didn’t felt like dumping his personal problems on those two, they didn’t need to deal with it. So, instead of saying the truth, the fire god just said they were running out of mortal food, so he needed to go fetch some more so Knight had something to eat at lunch.  
That didn’t seem to convince the two, if their worried expressions were anything to go by, but they seemed to understand they wouldn’t be getting anything else out of the fire god, so they just accepted his lie, telling him to be careful, and went on their way, most likely towards the table so they could wait for Knight who was hopefully waking up soon.

Another reason for Fire Spirit to get going.

Sighing, the fire god made his way towards his front garden, holding his staff tightly in his hands.  
And in a flash, Fire Spirit was gone, walls of flames teleporting him to his location.

...He REALLY hoped Windy was having a good morning and was in a somewhat good mood, so he wouldn’t just shoot him down on the spot, and would actually listen to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;3c  
> Aren't things getting F U N ? !  
> Don't let the chapter fool you guys tho.  
> Those two still got a while before they can tell each other what they feel pfff


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire Spirit and Wind Archer have a talk.
> 
> And Fire Spirit breaks down way more than he ever imagined he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Everyone fav windy boi finally makes his appearance!  
> And to celebrate that, I went ahead and did another sprite edit so you guys can have some idea what Wind looks in this AU :o
> 
> Just copy+paste the link below to check it out! Feel free to like/reblog it if you have a tumblr as well!
> 
> https://galaxyacerodoesart.tumblr.com/post/619666014970544128/since-he-will-be-making-his-appearance-in-the-next

As the flames around him were dying down, Fire Spirit took a deep breath, clenching his staff in his hands tightly. He was here.  
“Here” being the beautiful vast greenery of trees, vines and plants, that was the entrance of the forest that would lead to Millennial’s Tree Sanctuary. 

Fire Spirit couldn’t deny, the place was pretty. He didn’t expect anything less from one of the oldest Gods anyway, the sunlight calmly peeking through the tall trees leaves, the chirps of birds…

The wind flowing all around, that clearly had grown stronger as Fire Spirit made his appearance.

Guess Windy was already aware someone was at the forest entrance. 

Sighing, Fire Spirit slowly began to make his way down the dirt path that should lead him to the sanctuary, not that he was expecting to reach said sanctuary anyway, Wind Archer DEFINITELY would stop him before that.

He didn’t blame the guy though. Fire Spirit could still see the scorch marks in some of the trees and vegetation around from the last time he was here and pulled what was supposed to be a “harmless prank”.  
He really didn’t expect his flames to run out of control like that… 

But yeah, it definitely left a REALLY pissed Wind Archer vouching to never let the fire god set step on the forest again, unless extremely necessary.   
This whole situation of his probably wouldn’t be something the wind god would classify as “extremely necessary” but…  
Fire Spirit had no one else to turn to.   
One could say he was kinda desperate here. 

Biting his lower lip, the fire god continued to walk, taking glances around from the corner of his eyes every now and then. He was sure he could hear the swift sounds around him that usually meant the other was on the move, but between the natural sound of the wind breezes, and the small critters around, it was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from.

It wouldn’t surprise him if it was coming from all around him, though. 

Fire Spirit continued to walk, it honestly was taking longer than he expected for Wind to appear, the fire god was deep into the forest by now, the path would soon be reaching the front gates of the sanctuary… He pondered for a minute if he should just try to have the other show his face right away by attempting to set something on fire. He wouldn’t REALLY do it, but just pointing his staff at something should be enough to have the archer jumping at him. 

But before he could come with a decision, an arrow went flying right past his face, missing him barely, sticking into a tree next to him with a loud “thunk”.

Ah… There he was.

Fire Spirit gulped, moving backwards slightly in shock. Taking a deep breath before speaking, voice shaking slightly.  
“-H-Heeeey, Windy…! H-How you doing?” He let out a nervous laugh, turning to look at the direction the arrow has been shot.

There, standing perfectly still, high at the top of one of the nearby tree branches, bow and arrow still pointed towards Fire Spirit with a scowl in his face, was Wind Archer, demigod of wind.   
The wind he controlled was blowing around him, making leaves fly off and the feathers on his wings move gently, the angry scowl on his face seemed to grow bigger after hearing Fire Spirit’s voice.

“-I told you to not show your face around here anymore.” the wind god said, voice cold. “-Give me one good reason to not shot that stupid face of yours right here and right now.” He continued to glare at the other, drawing his bow even more. 

Fire Spirit let out another nervous chuckle, one hand holding his staff tightly, while the other was pointing at Wind Archer with a sly finger guns. “-B-Because… Ruining my face would be an immense lost to all the realms?” He replied, fake confident smirk on his face while winking at the other.

Fire Spirit have no idea how me managed to duck the arrow coming towards his face so fast. 

Ducking on the ground, with the arrow that came towards him now stuck in the tree in the exact spot his face just was, Fire Spirit lift his hands up in a surrender approach.   
“-OK, OK! Sorry! That was uncalled for! I’m just so nervous I couldn’t help myself!” The fire god whined, eyes closed shut. 

There was a thump in front of him, opening his eyes, Fire Spirit found Wind Archer standing there, bow once again drawn, the light arrow dangerously aiming right between the fire god eyes, the angry scowl still in his face.   
“-Last chance. This time I DEFINITELY won’t miss.” Wind Archer spoke, clear anger in his voice. “-WHY are you here, Fire Spirit?”

Fire Spirit gulped, he could feel himself sweating with how nervous he was. Slowly, he lowered his hands, using them to help him get up from the ground, the wind god moving just as slow as Fire Spirit got up, aiming never leaving the other face.   
“-I… I need help…” The fire god bit his lips, eyes avoiding the other. “-Or just-- Someone to talk with! I--” He closed his mouth, he could feels himself starting to panic again, taking a second to calm himself, he took a deep breath before continuing. “-Look…” He stared at the other, pleading look on his eyes. “-I NEED to vent with someone. It’s… It’s a big deal, ok? I feel like I’m going to go crazy over this if I don’t talk with someone.” He gulped. “-And you kinda are the best option I have to do so…” Fire Spirit frowned, he really hoped Wind could realize he was serious by how desperate he sounded, because that REALLY wasn’t like him. 

Wind Archer continued to glare at the other, arrow never moving from its position. Squinting his eyes, the wind god continued to stare for a good minute, before closing his eyes and huffing in annoyance, finally lowering his bow that disappeared almost immediately alongside the arrows, he shot another glare towards Fire Spirit.  
“-You have 15 minutes. And you BETTER not be wasting my time with something stupid.” He nearly growled at the other direction, face still with a angry scowl on it, he moved across from Fire Spirit, leaning towards a nearby tree, crossing his arms before continuing to glare at the other.

Fire Spirit let out a relieved sigh, small smile on his face, he went to lean towards a nearby tree as well, holding his staff close to his body with both hands, he was staring at the ground, thinking just how to start telling the other everything, he let out a nervous laugh.  
“-Thank you…” He whispered, eyes still on the ground. “-Heh… It’s… Quite a lot though... Not sure if i’ll be able to say everything in 15 minutes…” Another nervous chuckle, followed by a nervous smile on his face while he gazed towards the other standing a few meters in front of him, on the other side of the path. 

Wind Archer just glared at him even harder, Fire Spirit could see his wings puffing up, a clear sign of how annoyed and angry the other was. 

The fire god bit his lip, eyes averting from the other once again.. “-Right. Right… I’ll… Try my best then, I suppose…” He took a deep breath. Better to get this done with…  
“-Well… You know how I recently have been given an opportunity to prove myself so I could earn a proper God title...?” He stared at the other, one hand scratching behind his neck nervously. 

Wind Archer rolled his eyes, letting out a huff. “-Yes. I am aware. Father had told me about it, and just so you know, I share his sentiment of wanting NOTHING to do with that blood ceremony of yours.” He glared at the other, unhappy expression still on his face. “-So if you are here to try to get some sort of assistance from me, for anything related to that, you better just take your leave--”

“-No! It’s-- It’s not like that!” Fire Spirit interrupted him, hissing slightly in annoyance. “-Well, maybe it is in a way…? But not for what you are thinking!” He shook his hands in front of himself, trying his best to explain. “-Is just-- UGH.” Fire Spirit let out a frustrated sigh, staff being held close to his body with one hand while the other was sliding down his face in frustration.  
He paused, another deep breath. “-Just… Let me explain everything before you jump to conclusions...please?” He looked at the other with pleading eyes, voice clearly shaking.

Wind Spirit was silent for a moment, still glaring, before letting out a sigh. “-...Fine.” He looked at the other, expression slightly calmer, but still cold. “-Explain.” 

“-W-well… Anyway.” Fire Spirit gulped. “-You… You’re right. The other Gods gave me the chance to prove my worth by having a blood ceremony. So, to start, I obviously had to get a mortal.” He paused for a second, hands fidgeting around his staff. “-I was told to go to a pretty isolated village, one near the Koterra Forest, in the mortals realm… Maybe you’ve heard of it…?” The fire god paused again, taking a glance at the other.

Wind Archer was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking. “-I have heard of it.” He finally spoke. “-They all always had a great respect for the elder gods, for what I’ve been told.” 

“-Yeah, well…” Fire Spirit bit his lip again, before continuing. “-Pitaya was the one to send me there. Obviously, who else…” He let out a small chuckle, sad smile on his face. “-Well… They told me to go and demand to have the chief’s heir be handed to me, they were the one I was supposed to… Deal with, in the ceremony.” The fire god averted his eyes from the other again, he still could see Wind Archer glaring at him regardless.

The whole “killing a mortal for a ceremony” really didn’t sit with the wind demigod either. 

Fire Spirit cleared his throat. “-A-anyway. I went ahead and did as I was told, and sure enough, the chief handled me his oldest child, the next in line…” He paused for a second, letting out another sigh before continuing. “-Only thing is… The person I got WASN’T the village heir.”

That got Wind Archer to open his eyes curiously, confusion clear in his face while he stared at the other. “-What do you mean by that?” 

“-I mean they tricked me.” Fire Spirit spat out, voice low while glaring at the ground. “-Pitaya NEVER expecified who the heir was, they just told me they knew there was one. So, when the chief came saying the guy in front of me was his oldest son, I believed him.” 

Wind Archer let out a quiet grumble, expressions ever so slightly softer. “-Let me guess… That got you hearing a lot from Red, didn’t it?”

The fire god let out a pitiful quiet laugh. “-Oh, you have no idea…” Eyes still distant, he had a sad smile on his face before continuing. “-I thought that was it. I had failed the whole thing, my one and only chance to prove myself, before I even had a chance to start… But, by some miracle, it wasn’t a lost cause.” He paused. “-Turns out, the guy I got definitely wasn’t related to the chief at all, BUT he was the village most skilled warrior, and because of that, I still could use him in the ceremony.” 

The wind god let out a huff, back to glaring slightly at the other. “-Well, aren’t you lucky?” He replied, voice clearly full of sarcasm. 

“-Yeah, yeah…” Fire Spirit let out a huff of his own. “-Thing is, I now had to get CLOSE to the guy, so the ceremony could actually be effective or something… I had to befriend the guy, create a bond of sorts.” 

“-Oh, I can imagine that went amazingly, everyone knows how great you are at socializing.” Wind Archer let out a small chuckle, the smallest of smirks on his face while he stared at the other, eyebrows raised.

Fire Spirit rolled his eyes, a small genuine smile on his face at the other sarcasm. “-Haha, look who’s talking! The guy who literally never leaves the forest he lives in to talk with people unless his dad pretty much forces him to.” He stared at the other, crossing his own arms with a smirk on his own face. 

Wind Archer rolled his eyes at the other, small smile on his face as well. It’s not like Fire Spirit was lying, anyway.

Fire Spirit let his smile and arms fall, frowning slightly. “-Yeah… But anyway…” He gulped. “-So, I went ahead and started trying to do that, get close to the guy, I mean…” One of his hands went through his flame hair nervously. “-I had twelve days to do so, and as of now, the guy has been with me for seven days…” 

“-Let me guess…” Wind Archer interrupted, voice cold. “-You haven’t made any progress yet?” 

The fire god glared at the other deadpan expression. “-Actually, I have! Thank you very much.” He huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms again. Before letting out a sigh, gazing away from the other. “-We… Actually got pretty close. Like, I got to learn a lot about him, he learned some stuff about me, we just hang out and chat together every now and then… He even got to meet Angel and Devil, and what do you know! He clearly enjoy their companies as well!” He let out a nervous laugh, one hand holding his staff tightly, while the other was in his hair again. Before letting out a whine, eyes still distantly staring at the ground. “-... And that’s exactly the problem I am having…” 

The wind god stared at the other, eyebrows raised in confusion. “-Forgive me, but I really fail to see the problem, other than the whole situation being extremely awful, I mean…” He said, voice low. “-You wanted to get close to him, and you did. Where is the problem?” Wind Archer turned his head slightly, eyes focused on the other. 

Fire Spirit gulped, thinking about his next words while he held onto his staff close to his body to dear life.   
“-... The problem is… That I REALLY have been enjoying having him around…” He said, voice so low he wasn’t sure how the other had managed to hear him.

Taking a glance at Wind Archer, Fire Spirit could see the other was still clearly confused, head still turned slightly, one eyebrow up while he continued to stare at him. The fire god let out a loud sigh, that’s what barely interacting with anyone would get you, he guessed. 

“-And what I mean by that…” Fire Spirit continued. “-Is… I started to enjoy being around him, near him. He…” The fire god bit down his lower lip, pausing slightly. “-I went on this whole thing thinking it would be easy, just trick the guy and keep him with me until his time was up, then I finally would achieve my dream. FINALLY I would be seen as an equal between the other Gods and what not!” He let out a nervous chuckle, arm wrapping around himself while leaning his head towards his staff. “-But instead… The more I got to know him, the more I got to be around him, the more I got to SEE him... The more the idea of killing him was turning to be something REALLY difficult for me to do…” He took a nervous glance towards Wind Archer, hoping the other understood just what he meant.

Wind Archer stared at him for a while, arms still crossed and deadpan expression on his face, and as if the gears in his heads were slowly turning to reach a conclusion, the other demigod suddenly opened his eyes in shock, seemingly to finally connect the pieces.   
“-... You’re falling for him. You are falling for the mortal you are supposed to kill…” The wind god finally spoke, incredulous tone in his whispering voice. 

Fire Spirit whined, hugging himself even tightly.   
“-Yes…” He whispered, voice cracking. He could feel his heart starting to beat faster. “- I-- I don’t know when, but somehow around the seven days I’ve know him I just--” He groaned loudly, arms unwrapping themselves from around him and holding onto his staff while he leaned his face on it again. “-He’s just so GREAT Windy! He understand me like I never thought ANYONE would! And I just-- CARE SO MUCH about him!!” He shouted at the other direction, voice cracking again, he could feel small tears trying to make their way to his eyes. “- And- And--! I’m TERRIFIED! Because no matter how I look at it, his days are literally counted!!” Fire Spirit stared at the other, desperation clear in his face. He could feel the tears going down his cheeks and his breathing getting erratic. “- He’s going to die in FIVE DAYS! And there is NOTHING I can do about it!!” The fire god let out a quiet sob, leaning towards the tree for support, breathing still erratic. 

Fire Spirit could slightly make the smell of smoke starting to coming from the tree he was leaning in, but he was panicking to hard and losing hold of his breath to even try to do something about it. 

He could feel the tears freely running down his cheeks by now.

This was the last thing he wanted, to break down in front of the other demigod like this. But he couldn’t help it… Just the idea of losing Knight had turned to such a terrifying thing, and it was worse since he knew it was most likely inevitable. 

Knight was the first person he has carried about in ages, and he was going to lose him. 

Fire Spirit suddenly felt someone pulling him away from the tree he was leaning in, shoving him to the ground making him fall. Still sitting on the dirt path, the fire god could feel himself hyperventilate, his staff had flung from his hand and was laying somewhere near him. He brought his knees close to himself, hands and nails digging into them so tightly it was leaving marks.

He couldn’t breath. His vision was clouded. He couldn’t see anything, just feel the tears down his cheeks. 

Part of Fire Spirit was glad that somehow, his own watery tears didn’t seem to hurt him like normal water did, because if it did, he definitely would be in a lot of pain right now. 

He couldn’t let this happen. He CAN’T lose Knight like that!! Screw that stupid dream of earning a God status, he didn’t want it anymore. He just wanted Knight. He just wanted him to be safe! He just --

His breathing was getting more frantic, while the tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He could feel flames starting to appear around him on the ground. 

“-FIRE SPIRIT! BREATHE!!” The loud voice of Wind Archer right next to him was enough to make him jump slightly in surprise. The wind god had his hands on the other shoulders, shaking him slightly, trying to get his attention.  
“-You NEED to calm down! Just breathe!” He continued to shout, kneeled next to the other while trying to have Fire Spirit look at him.

Fire Spirit held onto the other wrist, shaking and with eyes distant while he attempted to get his breath under control.

Wind Archer let out a hiss in pain after the other grabbed his wrist, he was sure if it wasn’t for the bracelets he wore, his wrist would be burning right now.   
“-Fire Spirit, listen to me.” He continued to stare at the other, voice serious. “-Calm. Down. You aren’t going to reach any solution by panicking like this!” 

The fire god shut his eyes tightly, lowering his head into his knees, one arm hugging the knees close to himself while the other still had a hold of the other demigod wrist.   
He had heard Wind Archer. He knew he was right…

But stars, it was SO HARD for him to calm down right now!

But Wind was right… He came here to vent, yes, but also to hear someone else opinion. Someone else advice.

If there was even the slim chance for him to save Knight, he would do it. He had to.

But to do that, he first had to calm down.

Trying his best to focus on his own breathing, Fire Spirit tried to calm down. Breathe… In and out… He can’t break down like this, he had to think of something. He had to save Knight. He didn’t have the luxury of time right now to panic…  
Slowly but surely, Fire Spirit could feel his breathing getting calmer, the flames that were around him dying out. He let go of his grip on the other shoulder, hugging his knees with both hands now, while his head rested on them. 

He felt like a mess, and probably looked like one too.

Wind Archer stood there, quietly, hands slowly patting the other back. His wrist stung. Fire Spirit had slightly burned them, even with his bracelets on the way. It was fine though, the wind god knew he would heal in no time

Besides, Fire Spirit did it while he clearly was out of it, in a panicked state.   
Even Wind Archer couldn’t blame him for that, or for nearly starting another forest fire.

It felt like hours, Fire Spirit honestly wouldn’t be able to tell how long he stood there, trying to calm down, with the other attempting his best to comfort him as well.

He was pretty sure it has been way over 15 minutes though. 

Finally, taking a deep breath, Fire Spirit let out a sigh, opening his eyes, that were definitely way more red than normal due to all the crying he just did, he calmly pushed the other hand away, as to say he was fine now. Wind Archer removed his hand from the other without hesitation. 

The wind continued to stare at Fire Spirit, slightly worried expression on his face. “-You sure you are alright…?” He asked, voice low.

Fire Spirit nodded weakly. “-Yeah… Thanks.” His voice was dry, he swallowed a few times in an attempt to make it slightly better. “-I’m… I’m sorry…” The fire god whispered, eyes turning away from the other with a frown. “-I… I didn’t mean to break down like this…” 

Wind Archer let out a loud sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly before speaking. “-Don’t apologize. You clearly have a lot in your mind.” He paused for a second, staring at the other, before letting out a small chuckle. “-...And considering how your head is usually empty, that must have taken quite a lot of you.” The wind god continued, small smirk on his face, trying to ease the whole situation.

Fire Spirit couldn’t help to let out his own chuckle, smiling slightly, one hand was trying to clean any remaining tears from his face. “-Heh… Wow. I just broke down in front of you and that’s how you treat me? No wonder you don’t have any friends beside me.” He let out another quiet laugh, a joking tone clear on his voice and small smile still on his face, while he moved to sit against a nearby tree instead.

Wind Archer rolled his eyes, moving to sit near the other. “-I hardly would consider you my friend though. We’re more like… Acquaintances. I just had the displeasure of meeting you, and then you continued to annoy me and make my duty way harden than it should be to this day.” He replied, closing his eyes while leaning against the tree trunk, joking smirk on his face. 

“-Gasp! Sooo harsh~!” The fire god let out a fake cry. “-Sorry Windy, I’m afraid my heart has already been taken by a handsome blond mortal. I appreciate the gesture though, I know it must be hard to control yourself when near someone as amazing as me~” He leaned towards Wind Archer, one hand dramatically over his forehead and the other on his chest, while grinning slightly.

The wind god let out a huff, rolling his eyes. “-As if I would fall for someone like you. I have standards, you know? And annoying fire jerk DEFINITELY isn’t my type.” He playfully pushed the other away from him.

“-And here you go again, hurting me when I literally just broke down in front of you~” Fire Spirit faked a pained sound, leaning towards the tree instead.

Both let out quiet laughs, Fire Spirit stopping at some point to retrieve his staff and continued to hold tightly onto it. Both demigods stayed quiet for a moment, just listening to the sounds around them. 

The smirk on Fire Spirit face turned into a genuine smile, with a voice low, he turned to Wind Archer.  
“-...But for real… Thanks Windy.” He let out a sigh, bringing his knees close to him again and resting his head on them while staring at the path in front of him. “-I… Guess I have been having a lot in mind with… This whole situation.” 

Wind Archer let out a hum, nodding slightly. “-Don’t mention it.” He crossed his legs, leaning further into the tree trunk. He paused for a minute, before turning towards the other. “-If… You don’t mind me asking… What’s the guy name? I don’t think you have mentioned it yet…” 

Fire Spirit closed his eyes, sad smile on his face. “-Knight. His name is Knight.” His thoughts almost instantly went towards said human. He wondered what the other was doing right now back at the castle… He probably has finished breakfast by now, and knowing him, he either was humoring Angel and Devil in one of their shenanigans, or training, since the fire god had given him an ok to use the training area whenever he felt like.

Who knows, maybe he was just enjoying the morning breeze and sunlight in the garden, while the two little spirits joined him.   
Knight seemed to enjoy spending time on the garden areas. And Fire Spirit definitely loved to see his calm expression while letting the sunlight bathe his skin.

He always looked so fricking beautiful Fire Spirit almost wanted to cry again, this time in delight whoever. 

The voice from the wind god next to him broke him out of his fantasy.  
“-Why did you come to ask me to advice…?” Wind Archer said, face frowning in concern. “-No offense but… You are right about me in a way, I barely interact with anyone, this… This is a really big problem you are going through, shouldn’t you try to go for someone who might actually be able to help?” He stared at the other, concern still clear in his face. 

Fire Spirit let out a hum in thought. Yeah, he knew Wind Archer probably wouldn’t be able to just give him a clear solution, but at the same time…  
“-I guess I just wanted someone I knew would let me vent without judging me at the end…” He shrugged. “-And I mean, I DEFINITELY couldn’t go to any of the other Gods that knew about this whole ceremony to begin with. Angel and Devil are way too young for me to drown them with my own problems like this…” Fire Spirit sighed. “-And I don’t know… I guess… You are the only other being I know is kinda in the same boat as me.”

The look on Wind Archer faced turned to a confused one, eyebrow raising slightly. “-...But… We aren’t in any type of boat…? I mean, isn’t large pools of water quite a danger to you? Why would you be in a boat anyway… “ The wind god frowned in confusion, staring at the ground. 

The fire god just stared at the other, mouth closed in a thin line, before letting out a genuine laughter at the other. Fire Spirit forgot that metaphors really aren’t the wind demigod forte, they usually just right went over his head. 

The clearly confused look on Wind Archer while Fire Spirit laughed just confirmed he really had no idea what he said wrong. 

“-Hehehe.. N-No, No. Windy…” Fire Spirit paused, cleaning the small tears that were at the corner of his eyes from laughing and taking a deep breath before continuing. “-Is… Is a metaphor. ‘Being in the same boat as me’ means you are in a situation similar to mine. And by that I mean, well…” He sighed, the last of the laughter dying out. “-You are literally the only other demigod I know. What… What would YOU do if you were in a situation like mine?” He turned towards the other, frowning slightly himself.

Wind Archer paused, thinking for a minute. “-... I Doubt I would ever find myself in a situation exactly like the one you are in now…” 

Fire Spirit opened his mouth, as if to add something else, but was interrupted as Wind Archer continued to talk.

“-But, I think I get what you mean…” He closed his eyes, sighing. “-What would I do if I found myself in a situation that went against what someone ordered me to do, if it put someone I truly cared about in danger.” Wind Archer took a deep breath, lifting his head and gazing at the blue sky above. “-I… I think I would be panicking just like you were. I would worry over it just as much, but… In the end... “ He turned towards Fire Spirit, who was listening with a curious yet sad look.   
“-I… Would put the safety of the one I cared about over everything else. Even… Even if it meant I had to say goodbye and never see them again…” He stared at the other eyes, a sad look on his face.

Fire Spirit sighed, leaning his head on his knees again. He knew Wind Archer had a point. But still, this was a really delicate situation, no matter how he looked at it.   
“-Yeah… I guess you’re right…” The fire god replied, voice shaking slightly.

Both demigods stared in silence for a while again, before Wind Archer spoke.   
“-Can… Can you not call off the ceremony? Tell them you changed your mind about becoming a proper God…?” He asked while looking at the other, Fire Spirit could hear the small hopeful tone on his voice.

Fire Spirit let out a huff. “-Even if I did, It wouldn’t matter…” He frowned. “-The Gods already expect someone to die at the blood ceremony. And you know how Pitaya is… If I don’t go and kill Knight, they will kill him themselves.” The fire god swallowed a sob that was trying to make its way towards his throat. 

Wind Archer frowned sadly, head turning away for a minute. “-What about just sending him back to the mortals realm?” He turned back to Fire Spirit, sad look still on his face.

The fire god whined quietly, leaning his head backwards into the tree trunk, eyes staring distantly at the sky above. “-I thought about it… Even if… Even if it would hurt me so much to do so…” He paused, gulping. “-But again… They want a sacrifice at the ceremony. And they know just where his village is… If I go and appear empty handed, there is no doubt they will know what I did, and will immediately go after him themselves. Even If I tell Knight to warn his village, to have everyone run away… Who knows how far they will make it? It might lead to the whole village being killed. Everyone Knight know and love, all dead because of me.” Fire Spirit covered his eyes with his hands, trying to keep the tears from starting again.   
“-A-and the worst thing is… No matter the situation, no matter what I think off, Knight always end up dead. And that HURTS, so much Wind, the image of him just dead, in front of me, has been haunting me for days now. I- I promised myself I wouldn’t force myself to be around him all the time, that I would respect his space and all… But is SO HARD to do it when I’m afraid he will disappear and die if I look away...” 

The wind god rested his hand on the shoulder again, trying to comfort him. “-I’m sorry…” He whispered, genuine sadness on his voice.

Fire Spirit didn’t try to hold back his sobs anymore. 

And so, there he was again, sobbing and crying into his knees while Wind Archer tried his best to comfort him, for what felt like hours.   
Finally, after he felt like he had no more tears to shed, Fire Spirit went back to gazing at the sky above, sadness still clouding his thoughts, while he sniffed quietly. 

“-I… I wanted to tell him…” Fire Spirit spoke quietly. “-Not… About what I feel in general, mainly about the whole situation. Why I did what I did to begin with.” He frowned. “-Why I took him away from his home to begin with…”

“-Why don’t you?” Wind Archer asked, voice quiet as well, while still resting a comforting hand on the other shoulder. 

Fire Spirit groaned. “-Because I’m a coward. I’m terrified of what his reaction will be. It… It took me so long to have him actually trusting me, even if slightly, if I come out and tell him the truth, that trust will be broken, there will be no more reason for him to trust me at all…” 

Wind Archer let out a sigh. “-I understand that, really… “ He looked at the other, sad smile on his face. “-But don’t you think he deserves to know? You care about him, right? If his life is in danger like it is… Don’t you think he deserves to know?”

Fire Spirit frowned sadly, taking his eyes away from the other. Again, he was right. The fire god knew that… Knight definitely deserved to know. Even if it would break Fire Spirit heart, he had to tell him.   
“-I...I know. I’ll have to eventually but…” He bit his lip. “-I… I can’t. Not now at least… Not when I’m still a mess like this…”

The wind god took a deep breath. “-I understand.” He gently pat the other shoulder. “-But you definitely should soon… The more you wait, the harder it might be. And you definitely don’t want to wait to right before… You know…” Wind Archer frowned sadly. The wind god definitely didn’t want to mention the blood ceremony now more than ever. 

Fire Spirit nodded. “-Yeah… I know…” The fire god sighed, head leaning in his knees again. 

It would be such a painful thing to do, he knew it. But it was the right thing to do. He still couldn’t bring himself to allow Knight’s fate, but before he could try to do anything about it, he HAD to tell Knight the truth. Eventually...

A few more minutes passed, both demigods just sitting in silence. Finally, Fire Spirit let out a deep breath, before getting up, tidying his clothes and cleaning away the dirt from it. Wind Archer was quick to do the same, both were just standing next to each other now.

“-I should get going…” Fire Spirit said, voice low. “-I lied to Devil and Angel saying I was going to the mortals realm to get some more food for Knight, might as well actually stop there and get something.” He knew he didn’t really need to. There was enough food to sustain at least five mortals in his castle right now, but he just wanted some more time to think. 

“-Sure.” Wind Archer replied, a sympathetic smile was on his face, before it was replaced with another sad frown. “-I’m… Really sorry I can’t help more… I wish I could but…” He bit his lip. “-My hands are dyed here.” 

Fire Spirit let out a quiet chuckle, amused by the other attempt at using a metaphor like that. “-The term is ‘My hands are TIED’, Windy…” He let out another quiet laugh, staring at the other. “-And… Don’t worry. Is fine, You… You honestly already helped me more than enough.” Fire Spirit gave the other a genuine smile. “-Really, thank you. For… Listening to me and what not...”

Wind Archer let out a quiet chuckle as well, sad smile on his own face. “-Don’t mention it. Glad I was in a good mood to not shot you down the moment I caught you entering the forest.” 

The fire god let out another laugh. “-Yeah… Glad I’m not going back with an arrow between my eyes. THAT would be a hard thing to explain.” He held onto his staff with both hands tightly. “-And sorry, I’m pretty sure I took way more than 15 minutes.” Fire Spirit gave the other a small smirk.

The wind god rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “-Yeah, I’ll let this one slip this time. Since you didn’t burn down anything, at least not intentionally.” He returned the smirk.

Fire Spirit let out a nervous laugh, one hand scratching behind his neck. “-Right… Well…” He began to walk past the other, back towards the forest entrance. “-I’ll get off your shoulders now. Thanks again, Windy.” Fire Spirit took another glance at the other, small smile on his face.

“-I already said don’t mention it.” Wind Archer smiled at the other, arms still crossed. “-Now go. I definitely have more things to do then keep babysitting you.” 

With a final laugh and wave, Fire Spirit began to make his way back. He could hear the “swooshing” sound behind him, meaning Wind Archer was gone as well. 

Walking back the path, Fire Spirit was thinking back to all that happened. Yes, he wasn’t given a proper solution, and he still felt horrible and unsure on what to do but…  
Talking with someone about it HAS been nice. 

He knew there was something he could do now, at least. He had to tell Knight the truth, no matter how heartbroken that would leave him, the other deserved to know.

What he could do afterwards to make sure Knight stayed alive… That was something he would go back to worry at some other point. For now, the worry was on HOW to tell him the truth. 

Sighing, he finally found himself back at the forest entrance, taking a deep breath, the fire god bursted into flames, teleporting towards the mortals realm.   
Part of him hoped he would find some idea on how to tell the other the truth while he was there. 

And maybe, together, they both could come to a solution…  
Yeah, Alright. That was enough wishful thinking for now. One delusion at a time Fire Spirit…

One delusion at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was one emotional trainwreck :'v
> 
> I promise the next chapter won't be as sad jfkasjda


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire Spirit worrying has Knight worrying as well, with the human thinking he might have done something wrong to upset the fire god.
> 
> When Fire Spirit comes to assure him he didn't do anything wrong, he ends up telling more about himself to the blond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts a lil slow BUT it gets better, I promise :v
> 
> Also im loving all the comments on the last chapter dakjdakd You guys be worried I'm gonna kill someone off by the end of the fic, and i'm just here like ;3c
> 
> I'll tell you guys as much... I definitely know the ending, and, IF everything goes as I have it planned, this fic SHOULD be 19 chapters long + a bonus epilogue chapter, so 20 chapters in total.  
> But who knows how well this planning of mine will go dkasjaj
> 
> ANYWAY, Without further ado, Enjoy this chapter everyone! :o

Knight couldn’t help but be worried right now. 

First of all, he was still going crazy over the realization that he most definitely have a crush on the fire god.   
Second, he hasn’t seen said fire god basically the whole morning. He already had woken up later than normal, and to his surprise, Angel and Devil were the only ones at the breakfast table, Angel happily waiting while humming something, while Devil was laying their head on the table and messing with their trident, clearly bored. When Knight looked around and didn’t see Fire Spirit, he questioned the minor spirits about his whereabouts, the spirits quickly looked at each other, worried expression on their faces, before Angel looked back at him saying how _“Fire Spirit told them he would be going to the mortals realm to get some more food.”_

That didn’t sit well with Knight, he honestly knew there was enough food for him in the castle to last for months. 

The blond had frowned, not truly believing it, but figuring there wasn’t much he could do or ask anymore, so he just silently sat down, and began to eat the food that was already left for him, Angel and Devil joining him, pausing their chewing every now and then to happily talk with Knight, who would listen to their rants with a happy smile on his face. 

But the deep worry for the fire god still was at the back of his mind.  
Specially since he could just… FEEL something wasn’t right…

Like something awful was going to happen soon.   
And since he had no idea what that could be, the worry just continued to get stronger and stronger. 

  
  


Sighing, Knight turned to look at the sky above, he was currently sitting at one of the fountains around the place, the same one from his first night at the castle, difference being he now wasn’t scared to touch the “lava” on them. 

He trusted Fire Spirit enough by now to believe him when he said they couldn’t harm him. 

It was late afternoon, and by now Fire Spirit has returned from wherever he has gone to...  
Thing is, he barely spoke or stop to spend time with Knight at all since he was back. Giving him just a quick wave before walking away, bag with a few supplies tossed in the table, the fire god has made his way to his own room, and didn’t come out ever since. 

And Knight couldn’t help but worry if it was something he did.

The human groaned, hands sliding down his face in frustration and messing with his hair. This was stupid… He shouldn’t be feeling like this! Curse those stupid feelings towards the fire god for messing with him so much.   
There was nothing he could have done that made the fire god mad at him, right? He didn’t do anything different, his remarks were the same as always, ones that had the other laughing or shrugging it off like it wasn’t a problem.

… What if it WAS a problem though, and the fire god didn’t let it show until now…?

Knight shook his head, trying to get those stupid anxious thoughts away.   
Everything was fine. Fire Spirit might just be having a rough day and needed some time alone, Knight could respect that. The fire god has been giving Knight his own space when he needed it, so the most fair thing was for the human to do the same. 

Sighing, Knight got up, his mind was still clouded with too many thoughts and anxieties, he needed to clear his head, so without thinking much, he began to make his way towards the training area, glad the god has allowed him to use it whenever he wanted without even needing to ask.  
Walking down the corridors towards his destination, Knight couldn’t help but take a glance at the stairs going towards where the bedrooms, where Fire Spirit has currently locked himself in. Those worries kept screaming at his head, the idea that he might have done something to upset the other seemed to scream louder than the others. 

His attention got caught by Angel and Devil, the little spirits basically jumping on him, whining how both were bored and had nothing to do, finishing with Angel shily asking if they could just hang out with Knight for now.   
Smiling, Knight couldn’t deny such request, happily letting them follow him to the training area. The spirits playfully chasing each other and even hitting a few of the targets around themselves, seemed content to just hang around the human even if not interacting much. Meanwhile Knight continued to hit his own training dummy with one of the swords that were nearby. 

Having the two little spirits nearby while he trained did help Knight calm down a little, again, there wasn’t a reason for him to panic. Sure enough, Fire Spirit just needed his space and would come by eventually.

Knight wasn’t about to be this clingy just because he had a crush on him. Respecting someone personal space is incredibly important after all. If Fire Spirit needed to talk, he would be here, if he wanted to just come out like nothing had happened, Knight would try his best to not let his worries show. 

The human continued to repeat to himself things were fine. Fire Spirit will soon be near him with those stupid jokes and comments of his. He was just being paranoid and anxious, maybe because of the nightmares he had for a few nights. 

  
  


And yet, by the time the sun was going down, Knight still hadn’t seen Fire Spirit face...

Neither did he when Knight sat down at the table, quietly having dinner by himself, with Angel and Devil just keeping him company...

And so, for the first time ever since arriving, Knight was going to bed without having seen the other face the whole day.  
If he was going to bed a little earlier than normal, and if his heart ached while he could feel tears making their way to his eyes, that was just for him to know.

* * *

Fire Spirit knew what he was doing was wrong. Keeping himself locked inside his own room was NOT what he wanted to do after coming back. 

But as much as he wanted to be near Knight, he also couldn’t bring himself to face the other yet.

He didn’t think he would panic again, not as bad as he did before, at least, but still…

He still had no idea how he could tell the blond the truth.   
Even if he hoped his stop at the mortals realm would somehow give him some ideas, he still found himself coming back empty-handed.

Well, not really. He did get some food and ingredients since he was there, just to feed his lie if anything.  
...He also got ANOTHER thing he was hoping could help him when talking about the whole deal with Knight. But he still needed to add the final touches to it before handing it to him.

So, here he was. Locking himself on his bedroom because he couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth of his motives to the person he has come to love and care, because he’s terrified of being hated by him. 

But he knew he had to. Windy WAS right, Knight deserved to know about the whole situation. His well being should come before Fire Spirit own selfish needs. 

Just… Maybe not today. Fire Spirit definitely wasn’t ready to break the truth to Knight, after he has broke down crying way more than he ever did, all on a single day. 

Sighing, still in his bed, Fire Spirit turned to his left to look at the clock on his nightstand, shocked to find out it was past 10 PM. Wow, he REALLY stayed in his room the whole way?! He honestly didn’t even realize time passing by with all the thoughts about the whole situation still fresh in his mind.

Fire Spirit suddenly got up, sitting on his bed instead of laying down, eyes opened in shock. If he stayed in his room the whole day…

Oh stars. He didn’t see Knight the whole day! He already wasn’t here when he was having breakfast, and then he went to miss lunch, dinner… The whole afternoon! And he didn’t even give him a reason as to why…

Literally jumping out of bed, letting out a tsk in frustration, he didn’t even grab his staff, deducing it wasn’t needed anyway. Unlocking his door and finally getting out of his room for the first time in hours, Fire Spirit was quickly making his run downstairs, hoping to find Knight still awake, hanging with Angel and Devil. He REALLY needed to talk with him, if just to make sure he was alright.

Fire Spirit felt like an idiot.  
Scratch that, he felt more like a big jerk. 

The LAST thing he wanted right now was to seem like he was ignoring Knight. Is there a word when you are carrying so much about someone well being, wanting to see them safe, that you end up ignoring them completely without realizing?! Because that’s just what Fire Spirit was feeling right now. 

Finally downstairs, the fire god was walking fast, past all the corridors and rooms, frantically looking around for the blond, growing worried when he couldn’t find a single trace of him anywhere. 

It was when he ran past Angel and Devil bedroom, that he stopped. He could hear the little spirits talking inside, and Fire Spirit hoped Knight was with them, or at least that they knew where he was.  
Knocking on the door slightly, it didn’t take long for Angel to be opening the door, staring at him for a second with their big eyes, slightly shocked expression on their face, before giving them a small happy smile. 

“-Oh! Fire Spirit! You’re out of your room!” Angel said, voice happy while their tail wagged. 

“-Uh, Y-yeah…!” Fire Spirit looked at them, nervous smile on his face while fidgeting with his hands. “-Hey, listen… Is…” He gulped. “-Is Knight in there with you two? I… Haven’t seen him the whole day…” The fire god asked, voice low.

“-Well, Duh! Of course you haven’t.” Devil hissed at him, after appearing next to Angel at the door. “-You literally stayed in your room the whole day! Didn’t even open the door when one of us knocked! What gives?!” The little spirit crossed their arms, tail wagging in annoyance with an angry frown on their face while staring at the fire god. 

Fire Spirit sighed, staring at them for a minute before trying his best to explain. He didn’t want to drown them in his problems, but he didn’t want them to worry either…  
“-It’s… Complicated…” the fire god bit his lip, hand nervously scratching behind his head. “-Just… There is something big happening, I’ll tell you two that much, but… I don’t think you two should worry about it…” He tried giving them a weak reassuring smile.

“-But it’s making you really worried! And if you are worried, we become worried too!” Angel spoke, voice and face filled with worry, clenching their hands as fists against their body. “-Is it…!” Angel paused, gulping and taking their eyes away from Fire Spirit before continuing. “-Is… Is it something Mr. Knight did…?” They asked, voice barely a whisper. 

Fire Spirit opened his eyes in shock, quickly waving his hands in front of him. “-What?! No! No, no! It definitely isn’t anything Knight did! He didn’t do anything wrong!” He replied, voice fast, before letting out another sigh. “-He… IS involved in it, but nothing about it is his fault. Is… Mine, if anything…” The fire god gazed at the ground, eyes distant with a frown in his face.

There was a pause, before Devil voice broke it, letting a huff in annoyance, arms still crossed.  
“-Well, then you better tell the guy that.” They glared at Fire Spirit. “-Because I’m pretty sure he has been thinking he did something wrong to have you ignore him, the whole day long.” 

The fire god let out a quiet whine, face filled with guilt while staring at Devil. “-...Really? Is… Do he really think he did something to make me mad?” 

“-Well…” Angel small voice spoke, fidgeting with their own hands nervously. “-He didn’t SAY anything to us when we were hanging around but… You know how we are able to feel emotions and what not…” 

“-Dude has been feeling as guilty as someone who killed a puppy or something.” Devil finished, deadpan expression on their face. “-It wasn’t difficult to connect how he was feeling to you not showing your face around him the whole day.” They scowled, glaring at Fire Spirit again. “-Specially with how disgustingly lovey-dovey you two have been lately. If you hang with the guy every day, and suddenly don’t without giving him a reason, of course he will think he did something!” The little spirit finished, huffing in annoyance while turning their face away from the fire god.

The fire god stared at the two, slightly embarrassed. He wasn’t sure if he was being THAT obvious, or the two empathic abilities where just getting stronger. He kinda didn’t want to know the answer.   
“-A-Ah…” It was all he was able to say, head turning away from the two in an attempt to hide his slightly blushing face, hand nervously scratching behind his neck. 

“-It’s ok Mr. Fire…” Angel broke the awkward silence, an comforting smile on their face. “-Mr. Knight is a really nice guy! Is ok for you to like him!” 

“-Yeah…” Devil squinted their eyes, voice dry. “-Too bad he’s gonna die in a few days…” Their voice was low, almost a whisper, while staring away from Fire Spirit. Still, the fire god could see the other sad expression on their face. 

Angel opened their eyes in shock, before a sad frown took its place. It seemed they had forgot WHY Knight was here to begin with as well…  
“-O-oh… Right…” They held their hands close to their body, sad frown still in their face. “-I… I forgot about that… The Blood Ceremony… That’s why he is here...” Angel whispered, letting out a quiet sad whine at the end, wings, tail and ears going down slightly. 

Fire Spirit shared the sad frown with the other two, biting his lower lip and letting his hands fall next to his body.  
So much for not letting the two small spirits into his problems…

“-Is… Is that why you are so worried? Is that the ‘big problem’ that’s going on…?” Angel asked, voice low while staring at Fire Spirit with a desolated look on their eyes. 

The fire god took a deep breath, kneeling down at the other eye level, petting their head slightly. “-Yeah… That’s the big problem... “ He looked at the other, sad smile on his face. “-I’m suppose to kill him, but I absolutely don’t want to anymore… But…” Fire Spirit bit his lip, pausing for a second. “-I… I have no idea what to do. I mean, I have thought of some things but…” He sighed. “-I’m not sure how good of ideas they are…” 

The small spirit let out a sad whine, small tears beginning to form on their eyes.   
Even Devil was clearly upset, despite trying their best to not let it shown. 

The fire god looked at the two, frowning. “-Look… I said I don’t want you two involved in this, and that’s still true.” He took a deep sigh. “-I… I WILL think of something… Knight will be safe even if its the last thing I do.” Fire Spirit gently pat both of the spirits head, catching their attention. “-Just… Promise me to not tell anything about it to him… Please?” He looked at them with pleading eyes. “-I will tell him everything soon, but…” He closed his eyes, frowning still in his face. “-Not today… Can-- Can you two do that for me? Keep this whole situation a secret from Knight, and… Act like nothing is wrong, at least until I tell him the truth…?” 

Angel and Devil looked at each other, small tears clear on both of the spirits eyes. They seemed to be having a conversation between them, before both let out a sad sigh.

“-Fine…” Devil spoke first, face turning away from the god once again, arms going to quickly clean the tears from their eyes before crossing them.

“-We… We’ll try our best to make sure Mr. Knight has a good time while he is still around here…!” Angel quietly spoke, small sad smile on their face and tears still in their eyes while looking at Fire Spirit.

Fire Spirit kept staring at them, a genuine happy smile on his face. He let out a quiet chuckle, before surprising both minior spirits by pulling them in a tight hug.   
“-Thank you, little rascals…” He whispered, hands gently caressing the two hair while their heads rested on his shoulders. “-This means a lot to me…”

Devil had let a hiss of surprise when they were suddenly pulled in a hug, struggling for a second trying to get away from the fire god hold, before stopping, letting out a quiet huff, and shily embracing their own little arm around Fire Spirit, head resting on his left shoulder.  
Angel also was caught by surprise as well, but was quick to hug the other back once they realized what was going on. Small tears still on their eyes, while gently snuggling their head on the fire god right shoulder. 

The three stood there for a good minute, not saying anything, just gently embracing each other.

Fire Spirit was so proud of his little spirits.

Finally, the fire god released them from his grasp, standing up, cleaning the small tears that had made their way to the corners of his eyes as well, the little spirits doing the same.   
“-W-well… I… I should go look for Knight now…” He let out a quiet chuckle, smiling while looking at the other two. “-Do you two know where he went?”

Angel was trying their best to clean their face, sniffing quietly, but still with a smile of their own. They nodded their head quietly.   
Devil whoever, who was trying to clean their face as well, with a grumpy embarrassed look on their face and a clear blush on their cheeks, was the one to answer properly.  
“-H-He went to his room earlier.” They pouted slightly, cleaning the last remaining signs of tears from their face. “-Said he was tired than usual or something…” 

“-Ah… I see.” Fire Spirit let out a sad smile, staring at the ground.   
He doubted Knight really was tired, if what the little spirits told him before was true…

He was most likely still thinking he did something to upset the fire god. 

Sighing, Fire Spirit gave the two spirits another smile. “-I’ll go see him then… You two are free to stay up but, try to not make much noise, alright? And give us some privacy to talk...Please.” 

Angel happily nodded, agreeing to do as told.  
Devil let out a huff, rolling their eyes. “-Yeah, Yeah… We know.” They then began to slightly push Angel back to their room by their arm. “-We’ll stay on our room, you go talk with your boyfriend or something. We’ll see you two tomorrow for breakfast.” 

Before Fire Spirit could even be embarrassed by what the other had said, they had closed their door, leaving the fire god standing, staring at the closed room. 

He could still feel his cheeks warmer now. Shaking his head and gently slapping his own cheeks in an attempt to have the blush go away, Fire Spirit took a deep breath, looking back at the corridor, he began to make his way back upstairs, towards Knight room.

He really hoped the other was still awake, because there was no way he would let the blond continue to think this whole deal was somehow his fault.

* * *

Knight definitely still was awake.

He had tried to sleep, let the day behind him, but he just couldn’t.  
His head keep trying to push reasons why Fire Spirit could be mad at him in his direction, some didn’t even make ANY sense, but that didn’t stop them from coming anyway. 

Letting out a groan, Knight brought his legs close to himself, blankets laying on top of him while he held onto one of the extra pillows tightly. 

WHY was this making him so upset?! 

… Because he loved Fire Spirit. And the idea he somehow offended or hurt him without meaning was terrible.

The blond groaned again, burrowing his face onto the pillow.   
He hated to feel like this, and yet loved the reason he was feeling like that to begin with. Did that make sense?

Probably. Knight was just new to this whole “being in love” thing. 

There was suddenly a quiet knock at his door, making the blond lift his head in surprise. He continued to stare at the door, gulping nervously.

He was pretty sure there was only one being in that castle who would be knocking at his door at this time.

A few seconds went by, another knock. Knight couldn’t bring himself to make a sound, staring nervously, he could see the shadow of someone standing outside from below the door.   
After a third knock, there was a pause. Knight mouth was open, but no words were coming out. He suddenly heard a loud disappointed sigh, and the shadow outside was starting to move away. That brought the human back to reality.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Knight took a deep breath, before finally saying something.  
“- C-Come in…” For a second he feared he wasn’t heard, due to how shaky and low his voice was, but the shadow stopping just before they disappeared completely from the door frame, and then turning back, told him otherwise. 

Soon, the door was opening with a click, and Fire Spirit was quietly stepping inside, head sticking in first to make sure the other was awake and he didn’t just hear things. His eyes locked with Knight’s, before nervously looking away, he fully walked inside the room, closing the door with another quiet click.  
Fire Spirit gulped, back still turned from Knight, with the flames that made his hair currently the only light source in the dark room. 

Knight stared at the other back, an equally nervous look on his face. He didn’t know what to expect from the other visiting him this late… Was he here to yell at him? Tell him what he has done wrong? Knight averted his eyes from the fire god, anxiety acting up once again. 

He suddenly heard steps coming towards his direction, which had him quickly lifting his head up, eyes open in surprise and shock. Sure enough, there, in front of his bed, was Fire Spirit. A nervous look on his face while he avoided the other eyes, one hand tightly taking hold of his other arm, the flames in his hair flicking anxiously. 

And then finally, after what felt like hours, Fire Spirit quiet voice had Knight staring back at him again.

“-H-hey…” The fire god let out a sad chuckle. “-How… How are you doing…?” He turned to look at Knight, a clearly nervous smile on his face. 

Knight stared at him for a few seconds, before gazing away, biting his lips nervously, he adjusted the pillows behind his back, sitting on the bed and leaning on them instead of laying down, bringing his knees close to himself and holding them.  
“-H-Hey…” The blond replied in a whisper, still avoiding the other eyes. “-I’m… Good. I-I guess..” He went back to biting his lower lip.

Fire Spirit began to scratch behind his head uneasily.  
“- T-that’s cool…” He gulped, looking back at the other sitting on his bed, who was still avoiding to look at him in his face. Taking a deep breath, the fire god finally began to say what he really wanted to.   
“-L-look…” He paused. “-I… I’m sorry for not leaving my room the whole day today… I was just going through… Some problems. Personal problems…” Fire Spirit bit his lips, eyes turning away from Knight’s form for a minute. “-Still, it was really shitty on my part to not tell you anything… Look, whatever you were thinking, this DEFINITELY wasn’t your fault, alright…?” He looked back at Knight, voice low and calm.

Knight stood still, hugging his knees close to himself. Once hearing what the other said, he gulped, gaze so slightly turning to look at Fire Spirit, before speaking, voice still quiet and muffled between his knees.  
“-You… You’re sure? I… I really didn’t do anything…?” 

“-Of course not!” Fire Spirit answered quickly, voice shaking slightly. “-That… Really was all on me, buttercup…” He gave the other a calming smile. “-You didn’t do anything to upset me… I doubt there IS anything you could do that would make be ever be truly angry at you…” 

Knight could feel himself blushing slightly, turning his gaze away again, in embarrassment this time. Stupid feelings, now it was NOT the time, come on!   
“- O-Oh…” It was all the human could whisper out.

The fire god continued to stare at the other, he still didn’t like how Knight seemed to be trying to make himself small, something was clearly still bothering him, and Fire Spirit couldn’t bring himself to turn back and leave while the other was like that.  
Letting out a sigh, Fire Spirit walked right in front of his bed, making him look up at him, clearly tense.   
“-H-hey…” The fire god looked right back at the other blue eyes. “-Can… Can I sit down, maybe…?” One of his hands was nervously messing with his flame hair, while the other was pointing to the spot next to Knight at the bed.

The blond stared at the other for a few seconds, blinking slightly, small blush still on his face. “-Oh… O-Oh!” He gulped, moving slightly to his right so the god could have some more space. “-S-sure… Go ahead…” Knight tried to offer him a small smile, trying his best to not let the other realize how nervous he was to have him sit so close to him like that.

Fire Spirit offered him a small smile as well, before slowly sitting down next to him, moving slightly so he too could sit with his back leaning against the pillows.  
The bed was a double bed, but he still could feel his and Knight’s shoulders touching every now and then.   
And the fire god definitely couldn’t help the blush that made its way towards his cheeks as well. 

There was an awkward silence, both males not gazing at each other. Both clearly had things they wanted to say, but were too nervous to do so.   
Finally, Knight took a deep breath, before turning to look at the other, voice shaking and face slightly red.  
“- S-so…” He gulped. “-You… Said it was personal problems? Is… Is everything alright…?” The blond ask, concern clear in his voice and expression. 

“-Oh! Y-yeah..” Fire Spirit let out a nervous chuckle, eyes blinking for a second before focusing on Knight. “-It’s… It’s nothing you need to worry buttercup.” He offered him a small sad smile. “-I got it… Don’t worry.” 

_Nothing he needed to worry for now, at least._ A voice at the back of Fire Spirit reminded him.

“-Oh… Alright then…” Knight bit his lip, gazing turning away from the fire god once again. He had a feeling that Fire Spirit wasn’t being truly honest with him… But he decided against commenting about it. “-Well… If you ever need someone to talk with about that, I’m… I’m here for you, alright…?” Knight offered the other another small smile, gazing turning back towards him.

Fire Spirit stared at Knight, a sad smile on his face, before he let out a quiet laugh. “-Yeah… Thanks buttercup.” 

He should tell him.  
This could be the best chance he had to tell Knight the truth… The WHOLE truth.  
The fire god bit his lower lip. He knew he should but…  
Not now. Not today. Not when Knight was still blaming himself for something he didn’t do. 

“-Uh… S-say…” Fire Spirit broke the silence, looking at Knight with a sly, nervous grin. “-Did… Did I ever tell you about who I was before I became a God…?” He could see the other eyes open up in surprise, clearly curious.  
Fire Spirit didn’t expect to ever share this tale with anyone, but he trusted Knight.

If there was anyone who deserved to know more about him, it was the blond right in front of him.

“-Before… You became a God?” Knight continued to stare at him in confusion, really intrigued now. He knew Gods had to have come from somewhere, but was Fire Spirit implying he became one?

The fire god let out a chuckle. “-Hehe, yeah… I know it will be hard to believe but…” Another nervous laugh, hand behind his neck while he stared at Knight. “-I… I used to be a mortal once. Like, a long time ago.”

Knight opened his mouth in shock. “-You… Were a mortal?!” He couldn’t help the incredulous tone in his voice. A mortal?! How… How does that work? A mortal can become a God?! But how…

Fire Spirit let out another laugh, he can’t say he didn’t expect Knight reaction. “-Yeah… It’s… Kind of a long story though.” He smirked at the other direction. “-You sure you want to listen? Would hate to make you lose your beauty sleep. Then again… I don’t think you really need that~” The fire god winked at the other direction. Curse his habit of flirting when nervous, that WOULD be the end of him at some point.

The blond glared at the other, blush spreading across his face, he decided to ignore the other last comment,  
Not now stupid heart, there are bigger things on the table here.  
“-Uh, Yes?!” He moved, adjusting his posture and laying more comfortably against the pillows. “-Don’t you DARE drop something like ‘I was mortal once’ on me and not finishing it!” Knight crossed his arms, playful smirk on his own face. 

The fire god let out a genuine laugh, adjusting his own posture before taking a deep breath. “-Heh… Alright, alright…” He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. “-I should warn you there are some stuff I don’t remember, like, if I had a different name before being ‘Fire Spirit’, and some details are cloudy since it has been quite a long time…” He gazed at the other from the corner of his head.  
Knight, who was listening intensely, laying against the pillows with the blanket close to him, just nodded. Having it be a sign for the other to continue.

“-That was literally AGES ago. Nearly 520 years, to be more exact.” Fire Spirit closed his eyes. “-I used to live in a really small and… Religious village. By that, I mean literally everyone had to pray for the gods every single morning at the main hall, we had to leave offerings and all that every single week. Heck, they would even offer some of the people as a “sacrifice” for the Gods! And if someone refused to do it, they were punished, and anything different was seen as either blessed, or cursed by the Gods, including people.” 

Knight frowned sadly. That seemed awful… He knew that, sadly, that was still the case in some small places around the world, which made him appreciate the village he was born and raised in even more.

Fire Spirit let out a sigh, continuing his story.  
“-Yeah, well... Life was rough, but things just began to REALLY go downhill when I lost my parents.” He paused, frowning slightly. “-I… I don’t remember their names. Or their faces, really, but I know that there was a fire. Happened during the night, took out our whole house, I was the only one who made it out with barely a scratch. Which some would consider a miracle, but not the main priest at the village, he saw me surviving a fire no one knew where it came from, as a clearly sign I was a cursed child.” Fire Spirit let out a quiet laugh, while Knight had his mouth open in shock.  
“-Well, I was still just a child. Didn’t have any family members left, and since I was now seen as a ‘curse’, obviously no family wanted to take me in. So, the priest himself took me, and sure enough, began to make my life a living hell.” Fire Spirit continued to stare at the ceiling, a blank expression on his eyes. It has happened ages ago, but it still stung to say his story out loud.

Knight meanwhile was staring, shocked, mouth agape. The idea that someone would treat anyone, especially a CHILD like that was terrifying of him. 

“-Anyway…” Fire Spirit stretched his arms on top of his head, taking a breath before continuing. “-Cleaning literally everything around the church, organizing everything there, staying away from everyone, only speaking when I was told to… That’s how the next years of my life went. And nothing I would try to do would change that. As I grew older, the priest got more and more rough with what he ordered me to do, going as far as hitting me if I was ‘misbehaving’ as he would put it. Pretty sure the guy just wanted a excuse to hit me though.” The fire god shrugged. He was going to continue, but the quiet gasp next to him has him pausing.

Knight really couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How… How could someone be this awful?! And what about the other people of the village?! Did they SERIOUSLY just sit down quietly while another person was treated like that?! His protective nature was fuming in rage, he was sure he had an angry scowl in his face to match. 

The fire god blinked of a second, staring at the other expression, before letting out a quiet huff, smile on his face before touching the other shoulder, trying to comfort him. “-Hey, It’s alright buttercup. That was ages ago, I handled it back then, and now I barely care about it. None of these people are still around anyway.” 

The human jumped slightly in surprise after noticing the other touch. He knew he was right, but that didn’t make the whole thing less terrible. Taking a deep breath, Knight leaned deeply into the pillows. “-I… I know, sorry… But just because they are dead, doesn’t make what they did less horrible, though.” He stared back at the other, angry scowl still in his face. 

Fire Spirit let out a quiet laugh, turning away slightly trying to hide the blush on his face.

There it was. Another reason why the fire god had fallen for the blond. 

“-Maybe… But still.” The fire god cleared his throat, turning back to look at the other. “-Let me continue, yeah? I haven’t even got on the good part yet.” 

Knight let out a huff, puffing his cheeks slightly. “-Yeah, sure.” He rolled his eyes, before turning his attention back at the other. 

“-Alright so, where was I? Ah, yes.” He cleared his throat again, hands resting on top of his body while looking at the ceiling again.   
“-Things were bad, but I still tried to be strong, ya’know? Not let that get to me and stuff, but… It was harder and harder with every year.. Well, one day, when I was around 20 years or so, part of the forest nearby was completely destroyed, burned to the ground, and the culprit? None other than ‘The Great Red God of Fire.’ themselves.” Fire Spirit said their name adding quotation marks with his fingers.  
“-And obviously, everyone got completely desperate. If they were that close, sure they would reach the village in no time. Everyone was panicking, demanding a solution and what not, and so, the priest came to one. A sacrifice to please the fire god.” He paused for a second, eyes distant. “-And WHO’S BETTER as a sacrifice for the fire god, than the ‘cursed child who survived a house fire’ himself, am I RIGHT?!” Fire Spirit lifted his hands up, nervous grin on his face while he looked at Knight.

Knight didn’t knew how he managed to open his eyes even more in shock, but he did. 

Fire Spirit let out a nervous laugh, voice shaking slightly as he continued.  
“-Y-yeah… Well, obviously I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Before I knew it, I was being send away down the forest path, hands tied behind my back, all the way to the fire god temple. I…” He gulped. “-I honestly couldn’t care anymore. I was walking to my death and I honestly couldn’t care. Part of me was just… Happy the whole thing would be over soon, I guess…” Fire Spirit voice was quiet, staring down at his lap.

The human looked back at him, sad expression on his face, and before he could stop himself, he was leaning his hand towards the other shoulder, trying to comfort him.   
That caught the fire god attention, who let out a small smile to match Knight’s, before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“-Anyway… I don’t remember much of the details while I was waiting in that temple, I probably just stood there, waiting for something to finally take me out, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “-What I know is, suddenly, before I could realize, there was a loud thump in front of me, and sure enough, there they were. The God of Fire themselves, in their beast form, staring right down at me.” Fire Spirit let out a sigh, head leaning against the pillows.   
“-And the most messed up part? I just stared back at them. Deadpan expression, just waiting for them to finish me off.” He let out a quiet laugh, one of his hands pressed against his forehead, with the other still resting on his lap. “-Guess that REALLY got them confused though, because next I knew, they were asking me things like ‘What was my name’, ‘Why was I there’, ‘What happened with me’...And I just...Answered. Not hiding anything. The look on their face when I was done was DEFINITELY not what I expected though…”

“-The… Look on their face?” Knight interrupted for the first time, he doesn’t even remember when he lowered his hand from the other shoulder, but now he was sitting closer to him, shoulders and legs touching. Still, he was too focused on the fire god story to care about that.

“-They looked pissed.” Fire Spirit replied. “-Not at me, but clearly at who did all of that TO me.” He gulped. “-Again, I don’t remember much of the interaction we had afterwards, but… They freed my hands, and offered me a deal of sorts at some point.” Fire Spirit looked back at Knight, a small smirk making way to his face.  
“-They would give me power. Turn ME into a God, and in return? I had to destroy the ones who hurted me. I had to destroy my home village. Not leaving anything or anyone behind.” 

Knight stared at the other shocked, mouth open. So, that was how? Fire Spirit was turned into a God by another God?

Fire Spirit continued, before Knight could ask anything. “-And well, seeing I am right here in front of you to this day, I think you can guess what I choose to do.” He let out another quiet laugh. “-From that day, whoever I was had died, alongside the place he had grown up and everyone who ever was horrible at him and made his life hell, and Fire Spirit, the new God, was born.” Fire Spirit opened his arms, sad smirk on his face, avoiding the other gaze.

Knight meanwhile continued to stare. That… That was a lot to take in. Learning Fire Spirit destroyed and killed a lot of people, including probably children and elders was a lot. It was awful, horrible even.

… But at the same time, Knight couldn’t blame him.  
He imagined that if he was treated the same way Fire Spirit was, he too would turn to a mass genocide like that. 

The blond closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before leaning more against the other, looking up to stare at the other eyes. “-That… Really was a lot… You sure had a rough start, huh?” He asked, voice low, small sad smile on his face. 

The fire god looked back at him, letting out a quiet huff before offering the other a smile of his own. “-Yeah… It sure was. The… The look on the priest face when I appeared, as a God, was amazing though. He was so terrified, begging for mercy… I made him slowly burn, agonizing until he finally was gone for. I didn’t left a trace of his body behind.” Fire Spirit frowned angrily, voice dark while he stared at his lap. He clenched his fist, holding onto his clothes. “-I… I know that sounds awful, and it is… But… At the time I was just-- So--”

“-Angry.” Knight interrupted him, voice low. “-I… I won’t deny what you did wasn’t terrible, you most likely ended a lot of lives who didn’t have anything to do with the whole situation…” He frowned at the other, who had turned his eyes away from him, sad look on his face.  
“-But…” The human continued, one of his hands holding onto the fire god clenching fists. “-I understand WHY you did it. They had made you suffer for years, without ever helping you, so when you had the chance to make them pay, you went for it.” Knight offered him a small smile. “-Even I can’t blame you for that. You were suffering alone for years, and honestly? Even I would have done the same If I was in your place.”

Fire Spirit kept staring at Knight, mouth open in shock.  
He knew there was a reason he was so comfortable to tell the other his story… Yes, part of him was scared he would be judged by his past but…  
A bigger part knew he could trust Knight. 

The fire god let out a quiet laugh, his free hand moving to his face, blocking his eyes in an attempt to not have himself cry again, while the other remained in his lap, enjoying having Knight’s hand holding onto it.   
“-Thanks buttercup…” Fire Spirit finally said, voice low and content, a genuine smile on his face while he stared at the other.

Knight let out a quiet chuckle, smiling back. “-You’re welcome, Fire Spirit.”

  
  


And so, both continued to talk about random things. Fire Spirit sharing stories of when he was still learning to use his new powers and all the shenanigans he got into because of it, of the time he was sent to meet the other Gods for the first time, when he got his castle and own place on the Gods realm…  
And Knight listened closely, laughing at the other tales every now and then, and smile never leaving his face, just like his eyes never left the other, his mood clearly improving from what it was earlier today. 

Knight was still leaning towards Fire Spirit, which definitely had his heart beating fast and his face red, but right now he was too happy to let himself panic over it. The fire god continued to talk, and as much as Knight wanted to listen, he could feel his eyes blinking tired, trying his best to stay awake.

But being right next to Fire Spirit, with the comforting warmth he radiated while his happy voice filled the room, Knight found the other voice growing distant and distant, and before he knew it, he had closed his eyes, falling asleep. 

“-And you would NOT believe the look on Ananas face! It was HILARIOUS!” Fire Spirit let out another laugh. “-Sure, I got into a lot of trouble afterwards, but being honest here, even Pitaya themselves was clearly amused with the whole thing, so they left me off the hook really easily!” He grinned, hand going to clean his laughing tears away.   
“-Oh! And then--” Fire Spirit looked at the other direction, and paused himself before he could continue.

Staring down his side, he was met with the calm and peaceful face of Knight, who was quietly snoring, head leaning against the fire god shoulder.   
Fire Spirit let out a quiet chuckle. Guess that was the end of their conversation for today. 

There was no way he would be waking up Knight so he could leave. 

So, fighting the own warmth on his face, Fire Spirit took a deep breath, gently adjusting his and Knight’s pillows, so the other could be more comfortable, Fire Spirit managed to move the arm Knight was resting onto the other back, giving him more spare to lay against the fire god, and sure enough, Knight didn’t wake up, just snuggled closer to the other. 

Ok yeah, so Fire Spirit face was probably red as his hair right now. But who cares.

Sighing happily, Fire Spirit gently caressed the other blond hair, gaining a happy hum from the sleeping form. Smiling happily, the fire god placed his own head on top of Knight’s, continuing to caress the other head.

Fire Spirit knew that whole problem of his was still very real. He still HAD to tell Knight the truth, to come to a decision on what to do to save him…

But just for tonight, he decided he would much rather remain there, cuddling next to the other sleeping form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See?! :D I told you guys the next chapter wouldn't be an emotional wreck like the last one! ;3c
> 
> But who knows what the next ones will bring, A M I R I G H T ?! :)  
> asdadjkld still, hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day passes, Fire Spirit gives Knight a gift while trying to tell him the truth.
> 
> He fails to do that, but at least seeing Knight happy face while spending some more time alone with him, makes it worth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter wow!  
> There is a little bit of timeskip in this one, but still, hope you guys find it fun to read! :DD
> 
> Things will start to get... fun from this chapter. ;3c

Fire Spirit found himself blinking, slowly waking up.

Did he fell asleep? That’s… unusual. But hey, with how much he had in mind for the past hours maybe it made sense.

Eyes still barely open, the fire god continued to squint, looking around his surroundings. Did… Did his room look different or…?

Before he could think more about that, he felt something moving next to him.

Or rather, **someone**.

Finally fully opening his eyes, Fire Spirit quick took a glance next to him.  
Finding Knight’s sleeping form cuddling against his side, one of his arms lazily laying on top of Fire Spirit chest. 

Oh...OH. Right.  
The events of last night were coming back to the god.

… No, not like THAT, geez! They just talked, Fire Spirit shared more of his past with Knight, and eventually the human fell asleep on him. And Fire Spirit didn’t move. 

Fighting the blush that was making its way to his cheeks, Fire Spirit took a quick glance to his left, trying to see what time it was, finding it was nearly 6 AM. He was really glad Knight seemed to be deep asleep yet. 

As much as the god didn’t mind staying next to the other while he felt asleep, he would rather not be here when he woke up. The last thing he wants is to freak Knight out… 

So yeah, he felt like it would be best to move before the other noticed anything unusual when waking up.   
...That was easier said than done, whoever. 

Slowly attempting to move from the other sleeping form, Fire Spirit was now more than ever glad for his ability to float, because he really doubted he would be able to get away without waking up Knight if he didn’t have it.   
It took a while, between moving and stopping when thinking the blond was waking up, just to have him sigh and let out random grunts before going back to sleep, but soon enough, Fire Spirit was free from the other one grasp.

Standing in front of his bed, the god continued to stare at the other sleeping form, with a fond smile on his face.   
So calm, so peaceful…

Not aware of the whole problem going on.

Fire Spirit frowned, having a small break and just talking with Knight about random stuff last night was great, but he couldn’t waste anymore time. He had to go back to focusing on how to tell him the truth.

Sighing, the fire god began to slowly make his way outside the room, careful to not make much noise, he slowly opened the door and stepped outside, taking one final glance at Knight, a small smile back on his face, before finally leaving the room, closing the door with another quiet click. 

Now outside, Fire Spirit let out a tired sigh, hands finding their way to his face, while letting a muffled groan in frustration. 

This crush of his on Knight would be the end of him, honestly…

Making his way back to his own room to retrieve his staff, the anxious thoughts began to make their way to his head again, before going to what the fire god had brought back with him yesterday, from his trip to the mortals realm.  
It really wasn’t much but… Fire Spirit hoped it would make things easier when talking about it with Knight. He just needed to do the final touches, so the human could wear it around the Gods realm without any problems. 

But for now, he would just focus on getting his staff back, and going downstairs to get Knight’s food ready. He could do some enchanting later, anyway.

* * *

Knight slowly blinked his eyes, slowly waking up. Taking a deep breath, the blond stretched his arms forward, letting out a quiet groan.

That’s when he came to the realization that there was an empty warm spot next to him. 

Frowning in confusion for a moment, Knight pondered if last night really did happen or if he just imagined and dreamed the whole thing.  
… Stars, that really made it sound like something else happened instead of just cuddling with the fire god.

Letting out another groan, Knight sat up on his bed, one hand pulling his hair from his face, while the other remained in that warm spot.  
He could feel his cheeks blushing slightly again.

The fact the bed next to him was still warm just like Fire Spirit, was enough proof for him to know he didn’t imagine things.

He really fell asleep snuggling against the fire god. After learning how he became a God in the first place.  
That story still had him shocked, he honestly never expected THAT to be how “Fire Spirit” came to be… 

Knight was really happy Fire Spirit trusted him enough to share his past, whoever.  
That was some progress, right? The fire god clearly trusted KNIGHT enough… 

Which meant, perhaps Knight could trust him just as much.

Sighing, the blond decided that was enough laying on bed and thinking about the guy he liked. He took a glance at the clock, founding to be near 7 AM, he slowly got up, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a sigh, before getting up, gathering a new set of clothes and making his way to the bathroom. 

Hopefully, today would have a better start than yesterday did.

* * *

And surely, it did.   
Since you know, Fire Spirit was also sitting at the breakfast table to begin with. 

The breakfast itself was also a pretty interesting one, since out of nowhere, Devil and Angel just decided to start a food war.  
And Fire Spirit ended up joining them, shocking a total of zero people. 

And while that chaos was something Knight NEVER pictured himself to take part of…  
The moment that a piece of waffle hit his face, there was a minute of silence from every other being at the table.  
And before any of them could apologize, Knight was throwing pieces of his own food at the fire god. 

That chaos went for about five minutes, the whole table was a mess, alongside everyone who was around it.  
So yeah, that meant Knight needed another bath just after finishing breakfast, alongside the little spirits.

Fire Spirit was also a mess, but assured the human would be cleaning himself differently since water didn’t really agree with him, which made sense. 

Messing around like that, making a mess… Knight NEVER thought he would ever do something like that. He wasn’t supposed to, after all. He was expected to always be on his best behavior, following the rules, cleaning up messes not making them. 

But doing it alongside those three, it surely made his morning fun.   
He definitely HAD fun while doing it. 

And even with Fire Spirit said he didn’t need to, Knight insisted on helping him cleaning up. 

By the time the room, Devil, Angel, Fire Spirit and himself were all cleaned, it was past midday. It definitely took a while, but it was worth it, in Knight’s opinion. 

The rest of the day went as it usually would, Knight spending time with the little spirits, humoring them and their shenanigans, sometimes also joining them in their training with their magic.  
Most of the day whoever, he spent near the fire god.   
Which made it possible for Knight to see the other still was clearly worried about something.

There was this… Nervous and distant look on his face, whenever he thought Knight wasn’t looking. Like he was deep in thought about something. After last night, Fire Spirit saying it really wasn’t something the human did, but more personal problems instead, did ease his own nerves a bit, but still, the idea the fire god was having problems and didn’t vent with Knight continued to make him anxious as well. 

He clearly trusted Knight, whoever. So the blond just had to hope Fire Spirit would overcome those problems of his, and if he needed someone to talk to, hopefully he would realize Knight was right there for him. 

It was late afternoon, all four of them were just hanging around the back garden, Angel and Devil playfully chasing each other while the human and God just talked happily between themselves, Fire Spirit gladly sharing some more of the stories he had began to tell last night, and Knight listened, after all, he definitely wouldn’t be falling asleep now.

And he couldn’t deny the tales the fire god shared where pretty amusing. 

It was around 4 PM when the fire god suddenly said he needed to do some things, not specifying what, which definitely had the human worrying slightly.   
Seeing his reaction, the fire god had let out a quiet laugh, gently placing his hand on Knight’s shoulder, and assuring him with a calm voice that he would be done with everything by dinner time, and that he was free to knock on his room to check if he didn’t come down by then.

Sighing, Knight agreed, it didn’t seem like he was lying, so the human let the fire god go back inside, to do whatever it was he needed to, while spending the rest of the afternoon with Angel and Devil, both spirits joining him on the benches to have a quick snack, while they proudly talked about their magic improving. 

Knight still didn’t understand much about how their magic worked, but hey, if they were proud if their progress, Knight surely would be as well. 

The little spirits continued to keep Knight company for the rest of the day, as night began to approach, all three were making their way inside, and to Knight’s surprise, Fire Spirit was already down stairs, that stupid smirk on his face while he looked at Knight.

_“See? I told you I would be back! Even earlier than I thought I would! Bet I wasn’t even gone for that long for you to miss me, huh buttercup~?”_

It was all the fire god told him, a happy grin on his face while he winked at Knight.   
Knight couldn’t help but smile himself, letting out a quiet chuckle and rolling his eyes at the other. 

It definitely hasn’t been that long, but Knight was happy to see him again anyway. 

And before any of them realized, the night was passing by. Came dinner time, (with no food wars this time, fortunately) and afterwards, all four beings were just hanging around one of the main living rooms, talking some more, joining Angel and Devil silly games, just laughing and spending time.

It felt so natural...  
Like two parents hanging with their children. 

Knight was shaking those silly thoughts away before they could stick themselves in his head. He and Fire Spirit were NOT together.

Yes, he had a crush on the fire god, but that was it. They weren’t a family. If anything, Knight was literally placing himself between an already set family. 

He WAS the one that stand out anyway. The one mortal among three immortals. 

Knight hoped said immortals couldn’t catch the sorrowful look on his eyes right now.

  
  


It was even later, moon high at the sky, when Knight found himself growing tired, getting up from his place in the sofa, he excused himself, ready to go to his bedroom and just rest, attempting to leave those thoughts of him in the back of his head.   
The little spirits let out a whine, clearly unhappy with him leaving, pouting slightly before just saying their goodnights.  
Fire Spirit meanwhile, got up as well, insisting on accompanying Knight to his room. 

Knight knew denying wouldn’t make a difference anyway, so he just let out a quiet laugh, allowing the fire god to accompany him to his bedroom door. Fire Spirit let out a chuckle as well, happy grin on his face, before starting to walk towards the stairs, turning back once to tell Angel and Devil he would be back soon, so they better behave. Which gave him a frustrated groan from Devil, and a happy nod from Angel.  
On their way there, they just continued to talk about silly things, Knight finally asking the fire god just what he was doing this afternoon, to which Fire Spirit offered him a smirk, saying he “ _Would find out tomorrow.”_   
Letting out a happy huff, Knight knew that meant he wouldn’t be getting his answer, guess all he had to do was wait. 

And ok, maybe all that mystery made him a little nervous, and worse of all, he couldn’t even identify if it was the good type of nervous, or the bad one. 

Still, finally reaching his room, Knight let out a quiet yawn, earning a quiet laugh and a fond smile from the fire god, who went ahead and opened his bedroom door for him. 

“-Goodnight buttercup. See you tomorrow.” Fire Spirit said, smile still on his face.

Knight let out a hum in confirmation. “-Goodnight Fire Spirit.” Offering the god a smile of his own, before said god closed his door with a click, leaving the blond alone, the steps on the corridor being the confirmation Fire Spirit was going back downstairs. 

Letting out another yawn, Knight made his way back to his bed. He usually would change his set of clothes after being outside the whole day, but he honestly was way too tired to do that. 

Curse those thoughts of his. 

Flopping on his bed with a groan, Knight just fluffed his pillows and brought the blanket on top of him, turning off the lantern near his nightstand. 

And soon enough, Knight was asleep, snoring quietly.  
While dreaming of a comforting warmth and blazing red eyes with a stupid smirk.

* * *

The next morning started as any other.  
Knight got up, stretched, took a bath, and made his way downstairs, where the other three residents of the castle were already waiting for him.   
And even after finishing eating, all four of them just stood at the table, happily talking among themselves.

It was a little past 10 AM when Knight got up from the table, again offering his help to clean up, and again, Fire Spirit couldn’t say anything against it. After the two cleaned everything up, they just continued to talk.

It did seem like that was pretty much everything Knight did around here, but honestly? He really didn’t mind. He wasn’t that talkative back in the village but…

He found that talking with Fire Spirit, Angel and Devil was really easy, and something he loved doing. 

Laughing slightly at yet another stupid remark of the fire god, he still couldn’t help but notice how uneasy the other would look like when he thought Knight was distracted.   
There were times where Fire Spirit would pause, nervously looking away while biting his lower lip, struggle to say whatever he really wanted to say, and change the subject completely, making a stupid joke or sharing some more information about the Gods with Knight, a fake smirk on his face.

He was trying to not let it show, but it was clear he was struggling to tell Knight something.   
And Knight could feel himself becoming an anxious wreck because of that.

The ideas of just what the fire god could want to tell him were leaving him nervous. There was obviously the idea that something wrong was going on. It was like Knight could feel it was something like that, something wrong… Something Fire Spirit wasn’t sharing with him.

The delusional stuck in fantasy part of him kept sneaking thoughts that Fire Spirit was nervous because he wanted to confess his own feelings for Knight.

Yeah, Knight shook away those thoughts as just him being delusional. No way the fire god would be saying anything like that to him. 

But still, all those anxieties and worries kept glooming over his head, so right now, he was back at the training area, hoping to release some of the stress he was feeling while hitting the targets. Fire Spirit wasn’t around him now, saying he would meet him soon, but for now he felt Knight should use some time for himself.

He probably was right. Knight did usually prefer to be alone when he was stress-training like this. 

Grunting, he swung his sword again and again, quickly leaving marks on the wood dummy he was hitting. Panting slightly, Knight could feel the sweat down his forehead, deciding that was a good enough sign to take a small break.   
Humming to himself, Knight left the sword on its usual spot, walking towards a nearby bench so he could rest, whoever, when he finally reached it, he was surprised to see something laying on top of it.

It was a note.

Quirking one eyebrow in confusion, Knight picked the note up, sitting down and breathing for a few seconds before beginning to read it. 

_“Hey buttercup! Training hard as ever huh? I wonder if that means there is something on your mind right now…Ooor maybe someone~? Should I be jealous~? ;)  
_ _Heh, jokes aside… I was going to stop you, but you seemed really into it sooo… I decided leaving a note in hopes you would see it once you were taking a break would be the best option._

_ANYWAY! This is getting longer than I wanted. So…  
_ _Meet me at the big fountain, in the front garden, as soon as you can. I got something for you! No spoilers on what it is tho, gotta come meet me and see~_

_See you soon!_ _  
__-FS_

_PS. I know I said “as soon as you can” but you better get yourself hydrated before you go. Gods know how long you’ve been training there! Gotta take care of yourself, buttercup!”_

Knight continued to stare at the note, blinking, he could feel a small blush on his cheeks.

Fire Spirit wanted to meet him? To give him something?

The human honestly had NO IDEA what that could be. 

Gulping nervously, Knight decided it was better if he got over with it soon. Who knows how long this note was been left here anyway.   
Getting up, folding the paper in half, securing it in his hands. Knight let out a deep sigh, he knew his cheeks definitely were red by now, but no time to worry about that. Walking back, Knight got inside, he could hear Angel and Devil talking from the living room, seemed to invested in one another to notice the blond. Knight just let out a happy huff, not bothered at all by not being noticed by them, he instead focused on making his way towards the front garden. 

He did stop by the kitchen to grab himself some water first though. The fire god was right, he could use some rehydration. 

That small break to get some water didn’t really help his nerves, whoever.  
Knight just hoped his heart would stay still while meeting with the other.

* * *

Never before Knight has been this nervous while walking towards the castle front garden.

Save for maybe the first few days he has been in the Gods realm, but since he was pretty comfortable around the castle as of late, this definitely was the first time he was THIS nervous in a long time. 

Biting his lips, Knight could see himself getting closer and closer to the meeting spot, and sure enough, he could also see the flicks from the flames in Fire Spirit hair from behind. 

Said fire god, was floating in the air, hands behind his head and legs crossed on top of each other and eyes closed, right next to the fountain, his staff was placed on the fountain border, alongside some other thing Knight couldn’t make out what was from his point of view. 

Knight probably stood there nervously for a good minute, before taking a deep breath and approaching the other. 

Clearing his throat to get the fire god attention, Knight stood near the fountain, one hand holding tightly into the piece of paper, while the other was fidgeting with his clothes, and with a nervous smile on his face. “-H-hey Fire Spirit.” He gulped. “-I… I found your note! You uh… You wanted to meet me?” 

Fire Spirit eyes opened in surprise, not having heard the other coming, jumping slightly, he quick turned towards Knight, grin quickly appearing on his face when meeting the other eyes. “-Oh! Knight! There you are!” He stopped floating, securing himself on the ground again. “-I was beginning to think you were ignoring my message, buttercup~” The fire god pretended to be hurt for a second, but the smirk was clear on his face. 

And yet, Knight could see the other was clearly nervous as well, just doing a better job at not letting it show.

“-S-sorry…” Knight said, voice low while he stretched behind his neck. “-I… Honestly stopped to take a break not that long ago, that’s when I saw it.” He let out a quiet chuckle. “-Were… Were you waiting for too long?” He frowned slightly, hand going back down.

The fire god hummed. “-Nah, I’m just messing with you. I honestly left that message what? 15 minutes ago, maybe?” Fire Spirit grabbed his staff, sitting in the fountain, hiding whatever that other thing was behind him. “-I honestly wasn’t waiting for that long. I’m… I’m just glad you came, to be honest.” He turned his eyes away from Knight for a second, small smile on his face, before turning back to him and patting the spot next to him, showing Knight to sit there.

Knight let a small smile on his face as well, chuckling slightly, before making his way, sitting next to the fire god, leaving the note next to him. “-So… Why did you wanted to see me? You… Said you had something for me?” He asked, genuinely curious, while looking at Fire Spirit. 

Fire Spirit cleared his throat. “-Uh Y-yeah! I do have something for you!” The fire god let out a nervous laugh, holding onto his staff tightly. “-I… Saw it on my last trip to the mortals realm. I thought you… Might like it.” He turned away from Knight, grabbing whatever was hiding behind him.

The blond stared at him, he couldn’t deny he was curious to see what the other has got him.

The fire god held onto the small package nervously, taking a deep breath, before turning back to Knight, presenting the package to him. “-There ya go buttercup!” He tried to offer the other a genuine smile, but it wasn’t as genuine between his nerves. 

Knight opened his eyes in surprise, staring at the package the other was holding for a second before finally grabbing it. “- O-oh! Thank you…” He continued to stare at the package in his hands. It was a box, not that big, but not as tiny either, probably the size of his forearm at best, carefully wrapped on red paper, held together by a golden bow. For a moment, the human found himself imagining just what could be inside of it.

He honestly couldn’t think of anything.

Taking a quick look at Fire Spirit, who had an excited yet nervous look on his face, Knight let out a happy sigh, before carefully unwrapping the package, leaving the wrap and bow gently folded next to him, before opening the box.

Knight couldn’t help the quiet gasp when he saw what was inside of it.

He couldn’t exactly see what it was yet, to be honest, but it was some sort of fabric.

BLUE fabric.

Turning to Fire Spirit with his eyes and mouth open in surprise, Fire Spirit just continued to look at him, a genuine excited smile on his face this time.

“- Come on, see what it is!” The fire god let out a small laugh, smile never leaving his face while he looked at the other.

Only managing to nod, Knight carefully picked the fabric up, turning it around slightly to make out what it was, a concentrated look on his face. Finally, he properly unfolded it, and once he realized what he was, he let out another gasp.

It was a cape. A small half-shoulder cape.  
A BLUE cape.

Knight continued to stare at it, mouth agape, before letting out a quiet laugh, continuing to stare at the piece in his hands. 

“-Yeah… I remembered you saying you weren’t that big on reds…” Fire Spirit suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. Letting out a nervous laugh of his own while one hand scratched behind his head. “-And well, Is not like I could really change the color of the outfit I have you wearing but… I thought this could be the next best thing?” He offered the other a smile. “-This way, you can have that splash of blue on your outfit, while still keeping the original clothes!” His grin got bigger, excitedly looking at Knight. 

The human meanwhile had a fond smile on his face, that honestly was a simple present, nothing that extraordinary…  
But to know Fire Spirit did remember such a silly thing, such as Knight favorite colors, and went as far as getting him something in said color, something he genuinely liked, was enough to make his heart beat a little faster while smiling.

“-I… I honestly don’t know what to say…!” Knight let out a chuckle. “-Its… Its beautiful.” He gazed at Fire Spirit, smiling at the other. “-I honestly love it, I can’t believe you remembered something silly as my favorite color.” Another laugh. “-But really… Thank you.” Knight continued to look at the other, holding the cape closer to his body. 

Fire Spirit turned his head slightly, blush making its way to his cheeks, a nervous smile on his face while he held his staff tightly. “-Y-You’re welcome buttercup.” He scratched his neck nervously, a smile on his face and gazing away from Knight, before he opened his eyes, turning back at Knight. “-Oh! I almost forgot! There is something else in the box!” He pointed at the box sitting on the blond lap. 

Knight raised his eyebrows in surprise again. Something else? What else could Fire Spirit have gotten him? Carefully laying the cape on his lap while picking up the box, Knight found himself moving a few pieces of blank paper, before finding what the god had said to be there. 

Again, he was opening his mouth in shock.

It looked like a brooch of sorts, made of gold, and with the same shape found in the necklace he had to wear everyday. 

He picked it up, turning it around slightly and looking curiously at it. It was pretty, Knight wouldn’t deny that, but he honestly had no idea why the fire god was giving him this.

As if seeing Knight confusion, Fire Spirit let out a laugh, catching the human attention, before speaking. “-It’s to replace the necklace.” He smiled at Knight. “-You know… Be less of a ‘dog tag’. And it goes with the cape! You can just put it on it, and it will look amazing!” 

The blond opened his eyes even more, before turning his gaze back to the pin in his hands.

Fire Spirit really was listening to their conversations. 

Knight continued to smile, he could feel the blush in his cheeks and his heart beating faster, but he decided to not focus on that right now. “-I… I honestly didn’t expect this…” He let out a laugh, turning back to the fire god. “-I DEFINITELY have no words now… Other than thank you, that is.” Knight held both items close to his body, smiling never leaving his face.

Fire Spirit stared at him.  
Gods, he could see Knight happy like this for days and not get tired of it. 

“-You’re welcome buttercup.” Fire Spirit replied, voice gentle. “-But hey! What are you waiting for? Try it on!” The fire god happy grin was back on his face as he continued to stare at Knight. “-I had it already enchanted, which means you can use it without problems!” 

Knight let out a laugh, rolling his eyes, smile never leaving his face as he got up. “-Alright, alright… Hold on.” Carefully, he unfolded the cape, putting it on and making sure it was right. 

It fitted him perfectly, and the fabric was really soft, making it really comfortable to wear.   
Knight honestly loved it. He couldn’t help but burying his face deeply into cape and letting out a happy giggle.

Finally, letting out a content sigh, Knight turned back at Fire Spirit. “-So… How does it look?” He asked the other, staring down at him, smile and blush still in his face.

Fire Spirit continued to stare, mouth slightly open.   
And here he was, thinking it was impossible for Knight to look even prettier than he already is. 

The fire god realized him staring for that long was probably getting weird. Turning his gaze away from the other for a second, he cleared his throat, letting out a nervous laugh before giving the other an answer.   
“-Y-You look amazing, buttercup!” Fire Spirit looked back at Knight, nervous happy smile and blush still on his face. “-Glad I found it… And yeah, I can’t deny it, blue definitely is your color.” He let out a happy sigh. “-It brings out your pretty eyes.” Fire Spirit whispered without realizing.

But sure enough, Knight heard him loud and clear.   
And his heart continued to beat faster. The human was honestly afraid it was going to burst out of his chest by this rate.  
“-A-ah, T-thank you.” Knight let out a flustered laugh, gaze turning away from Fire Spirit while one of his hands nervously messed with his hair. 

Both continued to stand there, a blushed mess avoiding each other eyes, for a good minute.  
Before Fire Spirit took a quick glance at where Knight was sitting before, noticing the pin was still there.

“-A-Ah! hold on buttercup…” Fire Spirit left his staff laying behind him, before getting up and picking the brooch. “-You forgot to put this on.” He turned to the other, holding the pin in his hand, smile on his face.

“-Oh! R-right!” Knight quirked his eyebrows, he was going to move and pick the pin from the other hand.

But before he had the change, Fire Spirit was already moving right in front of him, carefully putting the pin on the side of his cape for him. 

Fire Spirit finished putting the brooch on the other cape, happily staring at it for a second, before taking a step back and looking back at Knight. “-There you go!” He smiled. “-S-see? Told you it… Would look good…” His voice got quiet, realization of how close to Knight he was hitting him, making his blush grow even more.

Knight also was staring at him, face also red.

They were so close… The fire god could see the other lips slightly open. If Fire Spirit moved forward he could…

  
  
  
  


No.  
He can’t do that.

Letting out a nervous laugh, the fire god quickly turned away from Knight, hand messing with his hair nervously, before sitting back down at the fountain.

  
Knight continued to forward, he knew his face was probably as red as his clothes right now.   
Shaking his head slightly to get his mind out of the clouds, Knight let a nervous laugh of his own, before slowly making his way, sitting next to Fire Spirit again.

And once more, both just sat there in silence, too nervous to say anything or look at one another.

Knight staring quietly at his lap, trying his best to hide his blushing red face on his cape. One of his hands was fidgeting with his clothes, while the other was gently holding the pin on the cape.  
If he closed his eyes, he could still see Fire Spirit so close to him.  
Almost like his dream.  
The thoughts were enough to left the human attempting to hide his face even more. 

Fire Spirit meanwhile, was panicking. Yeah, with what just happened he felt like he had the right to. But most importantly…   
He had planned to tell Knight the truth today.  
That’s one of the reasons he got the gifts as well.

He really hoped he would be able to do it, give Knight a gift, and then tell him the truth. Hoping the other would be able to see he honestly was sorry for the whole mess and just wanted the best for him. 

He had to. He had to take this risk.

Gulping, Fire Spirit slowly turned his head back to Knight, clearing his throat to catch the other attention. It worked, and soon enough, Knight was lifting his face up from the cape, curiously looking at him.  
“-Hey… Knight I just…” He bit his lip. “-I wanted to tell you--” Fire Spirit growled frustrated, his flame hair flicking nervously. Stars why was this SO HARD to do?! He wasn’t even confessing his feelings for the guy, just telling him the truth about why he was here to begin with! 

Knight meanwhile continued to look at him, after everything that happened today, he honestly had no idea what to expect from Fire Spirit anymore. But yet, he could see how nervous the other was. Whatever he was going to say, clearly was difficult for him to share.   
So, as Knight promised himself, he would do his best to listen.   
Offering the fire god a smile, Knight placed one of his hands on the other shoulder, catching his attention.   
“-It’s alright Fire Spirit… Whatever it is, you can tell me.” He gently squeezed the fire god shoulder, comforting smile still on his face.

Fire Spirit continued to look at Knight’s smiling face.  
He had to tell him, he had to.

… But he couldn’t. Not today, not now. He didn’t want to possibly ruin the blond mood by telling him there was a high chance he could die soon.

That idea hurt Fire Spirit heart. Knight WOULDN’T die. He would make sure of that even if it was the last thing he did in his immortal life.

Taking a deep breath, Fire Spirit closed his eyes for a second, calming himself, before turning back at Knight, and finally speaking.  
“-I… I wanted to tell you i’m sorry. For… How awful I acted when we first met and all.” He bit his lips, gazing away from the other. “-Even for what I did in your village that… I was just playing a character, kind of…” His voice was low, eyes still avoiding Knight’s. 

He really was a coward, huh?   
He couldn’t do something as simple as telling Knight the truth, afraid of the other reaction to it…

Knight stared at Fire Spirit, a slightly shocked expression on his face. He frowned for a moment, taking the other words in.   
It’s true Knight had a REALLY different image of Fire Spirit after first seeing him attacking his village, and even more after he was first taken in by him.  
But that image definitely had changed by now. Into one way better than the first one.  
So yeah, Knight definitely could forgive him. 

The blond let out a quiet happy sigh, moving to sit close to the other, comforting smile still on his face. “-It’s alright Fire Spirit. I forgive you for that…” He let out a quiet laugh. “-The image I had of you definitely changed since I met you, I have come to… Actually trust you. So don’t worry about the past.” He finished, gentle smile on his face while his eyes looked at the fire god. 

Fire Spirit continued to look at Knight.   
He really was too good for Fire Spirit.

Letting out a quiet sigh, the fire god closed his eyes, sad smile on his face. Part of him wanted to scream at Knight, saying how the fire god was lying, that he was definitely not some he could trust. 

That he was someone who had taken Knight away from his home, for a very selfish reason.

But staring at the other smile, he just remained silent. Sad smile still on his face. “-...Thanks Knight.” The fire god whispered, eyes opening and staring back at the other.

Knight continued to smile, a gentle look on his face. “-Anytime, Fire Spirit.” 

  
  


Both Fire Spirit and Knight had stayed in the fountain, a comforting silence between them for a while, before both began to talk about random things again.   
Soon, the sun was going down, making both of them move back inside. The two little spirits definitely had stayed without supervision for a while, so they definitely should check on them. 

Fortunately, there was nothing broken or on fire when they got back inside. Both spirits really were in awe at Knight’s new outfit, whoever, asking him questions about it left and right. The human laughed at their excitement, doing his best to explain everything to them, Fire Spirit jumping in every now and then.

And soon, the day and night went by, and before Knight realized, he was tiredly making his way back to his room, Fire Spirit once again accompanying him.

And so, Knight was once again in his bed, staring at the ceiling, smiling, the events of today repeating in his head.   
It had been amazing. He never could have expected something like that to happen to him when he was taken away. 

Knight frowned slightly, he was glad Fire Spirit had opened up a little more with him, he couldn’t help but wonder if what he told him was what was worrying him so much…

But at the same time, Knight still felt like the fire god wasn’t telling him something.

* * *

Fire Spirit was currently pacing around, right outside the front gates of his castle.  
It was late night, he was sure Knight was deep asleep by now, so honestly, he could be pacing around his own castle no problem.

But he still was way too worried, he honestly was leaving flames around with every step, so yeah. He decided to walk around outside instead, just to be safe.

He REALLY messed up again…  
He had the perfect chance, he should have gone for it…

If he continued to waste time like this, it would be worse. 

He had to stop being such a coward, he had to remember Wind Archer words. He had to tell Knight the truth, even if it hurted Fire Spirit, because he deserved to know, because the fire god cared deeply about him. 

Letting out a loud sigh, Fire Spirit took his hands to his face, groaning into them in frustration. 

That was it. Enough of that. He WAS going to tell Knight everything tomorrow. He had to, tomorrow would mark the blond 10th day with him, meaning the day of the ceremony was getting closer. 

Letting out a hum, Fire Spirit began to make his way back inside his home. Enough risking setting fire to the forest nearby his place. 

Whoever, when he was about to open the gate, a loud “fwosh” behind him made him stop.   
Quickly turning back to see what was going on, Fire Spirit quickly let out a gasp, he couldn’t help the clearly afraid look on his face right now.

As, standing there, with bits of pinkish flames still moving around them, was one of the last beings Fire Spirit wanted to see.

The Red God of Fire and Brimstone themselves.  
_Pitaya._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said...  
> Things will start to get fun from this chapter on. 
> 
> :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire Spirit is made aware of some terrifying news.
> 
> Which makes him realize, there is no more time to waste, if he wants to save Knight, he needs to act NOW.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Im really sorry for the delay to write this chapter, BUT there are some reasons behind it.  
> PLEASE read the end notes to see more information about not only that, but a new update schedule of sorts that will happen with this fic.
> 
> But well, without further ado, let's just get into this chapter, and remember to read the end notes if you would want some extra info!
> 
> PS. Im thinking I might be needing to change some of the tags in the fic dakldjas  
> uuuhhh you guys read it and let me know if you think the violence is... getting a little too much so I can make the proper changes in the tags, please :'D

Fire Spirit continued to stare at the other God, mouth open, he could feel himself sweating. Pitaya never really came around his place just to visit, and considering the whole situation going on…

It was easy to say, Fire Spirit was quite scared. 

Gulping, the fire god held his staff closer to his body, trying his best to calm his nerves a little, as the red god slowly opened their eyes, the flames around them dying out, they look around for a minute, before their eyes landed on Fire Spirit himself.  
Squinting their eyes, they let out a low growl, Fire Spirit could see their fangs set on a snarl, an annoyed expression on their face, as they slowly begin to walk towards him. 

Without much option, Fire Spirit just stood there. Nervously holding onto his staff for dear life, as the other approached. 

Once finally right in front of the other, Pitaya kept glaring down at him, an unhappy expression on their face, while Fire Spirit stared back, holding his staff and trying his best to not let his nerves show.

After what felt like ages, the red god finally let out a deep sigh, eyes closing and turning away from the fire god for a second, before gazing back at him, while crossing their arms, expression a little more blank, before they finally began to speak.  
“-Gotta say… Didn’t expect to see you out here.” They let out a huff. “-Not complaining though. This definitely make this whole thing easier.” The red god finished, a small smirk on their face as they continued to stare down at Fire Spirit.

Fire Spirit bit his lower lip, flinching slightly when the other began to speak. Finally, taking a deep shaky breath, he attempted to pull on his best confident smirk, while leaning on his staff, one hand holding onto it while the other was on his hip, as he looked up at the red god.  
“-Heeeeey ‘Taya…! How are ya?! Stars, it feels like AGES since I last saw you!” He let out a nervous laugh. “-I mean, yeah, I saw you a few days ago alongside the other Gods but uh...You know, Different time… Different situation.” Fire Spirit cleared his throat, the hand not holding his staff going to scratch behind his neck. 

Pitaya let out another quiet huff, rolling their eyes. “-Don’t remind me of that meeting. You already embarrassed me enough as it is, so I REALLY don’t need to remember more about it.” They hissed, glaring at Fire Spirit. “-I would much rather not even BE here right now, but the others decided I should be the one telling you the news, since ‘you are under my creation’ and what not.” They frowned angrily, eyes never leaving the other.

Fire Spirit averted his eyes from the other, grasp on his staff increasing while he let out a quiet gulp. “-...Right.” He said, voice low. “-S-so… Why ARE you here then? What… What are those news you have to tell me?” The fire god asked, voice shaking slightly, while his gaze went back up to look at Pitaya. 

The red god took a deep breath, eyes closing while they crossed their arms, tail flicking slightly. “-First of all, I’m also here to get some… Updates.” They opened their eyes, gaze fixed on Fire Spirit. “-How is the… Situation, with the mortal? Have you gotten close to him yet?”

The fire god could feel himself jumping slightly, expression still a nervous wreck while he bit down his lower lip, the pointed fangs showing perfectly. “-I…” He gulped, pausing for a minute. He knew the other would NOT be happy if he said he didn’t get close to Knight, but at the same time, he was afraid to know what the other reaction would be if they knew HE HAD gotten closer to him.

Not only he got closer, he straight up fell in love with him.   
...Yeah, THAT was something Pitaya DEFINITELY wouldn’t be hearing anytime soon. 

Taking a deep breath, Fire Spirit decided to go with the best option for everyone. “-Yeah. I did.” He said, voice blank. “-He and I are… Basically friends at this point, he definitely trust me.” The fire god gulped again, he really was trying his best to not sound this nervous, but he could still feel his voice shaking slightly.

He also could feel the pain in his heart that came when telling Pitaya the human trusted him.   
Because yes, Knight did clearly trust Fire Spirit by now… And Fire Spirit STILL hasn’t been honest with him. 

Fire Spirit didn’t DESERVE having someone as great as Knight trusting him…

Pitaya let out a quiet hum, blank expression while gazing at Fire Spirit, their tail continued to move slightly. “-And he’s still in you castle, right?” They squint their eyes, slightly annoyed expression on their face.

The fire god let out a quiet huff, crossing his own arms. He REALLY wanted the other to just tell what they came here to tell and go away already. “-Uuuh Yes?! Where else would he be?!” He arched an eyebrow at the other. “-The gates are literally enchanted so he can’t leave! And even if he did, WHERE would a mortal go in the Gods realm anyway?!” Fire Spirit usually wouldn’t be this disrespectful with Pitaya, but with how much of a wreck his nerves have been lately, he literally couldn’t stop himself. 

The glare of the red god intensified, growling slightly, letting their sharp fangs show. “-Do NOT use this tone with me, boy.” They hissed, stomping closer to the fire god. “-Don’t forget WHO sacrificed their time to raise and take care of you when you first became an immortal.” They growled again, centimeters from Fire Spirit face. “-Don’t forget WHO made you an immortal in the first place.” They clench their fists, glare never leaving their face while staring down at the other, their tail swinging side to side angrily, while small flames began to appear around their arms and horns. 

Fire Spirit bit his lower lip, head turning away from the other while the hold on his staff continued. “-Yeah… I know.” He replied, voice low. “-... I’m sorry.” The fire god frowned, gaze still away from Pitaya’s. 

Pitaya continued to glare at him for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh through their nose, and finally stepping away from the other a little, turning away from Fire Spirit while crossing their arms. “-You DO realize why I’m doing this whole thing, right?” They asked, voice low. “-You’ve been bugging me for a chance like this for CENTURIES! Do you think it was easy to convince the others to give you a chance?! Because it wasn’t.” The red god lowered their head, angry scowl on their face. “-Some of them STILL aren’t happy. Saying you are way too immature to be given a proper God title, that you will mess up the harmony we all have going on right now...” They glared back at Fire Spirit. “-But I’M the one who convinced them to give you a chance. So don’t you DARE forget that.” 

The fire god stayed quiet, gaze still not focusing on the other.   
He knew Pitaya was doing a lot for him… They HAVE been doing a lot. Deep down, they probably cared about the fire god...

Doesn’t mean they had the best ways of showing that, whoever. 

Honestly, to this day Fire Spirit isn’t sure if Pitaya do care SOMEHOW about him, or if they just care about their own reputation, which gets influenced but what Fire Spirit does directly, since he was created by them. 

Fire Spirit can’t deny that stings a little bit. 

Taking a deep breath, the fire god kept his eyes closed for a second, reflecting on his relationship with the red god. It was a strange one, that’s for sure. He still doesn’t know if Pitaya fully regrets giving him a chance in an immortal life, and that thought hurts.

Part of him knew that one of the reasons becoming a proper God was such a big wish of his, was because he wanted Pitaya to see him as an equal.

To be proud of him.

But Fire Spirit didn’t care about that anymore.  
He had someone new he wanted to do everything for, someone who is literally in a death road. 

Someone who still has no idea the real danger he is in. 

While Fire Spirit continued to stay quiet, eyes distant, Pitaya, who was looking at him from the side of their head, let out a loud sigh before fully turning towards the fire god again.  
“-Anyway… Let’s just get this conversation over with…” They let out a quiet huff, getting Fire Spirit to finally look back at them. “-So the mortal is still with you and you have got closer to him, yes?” They asked, arms crossed while staring down at the other.

The fire god let out a confirming nod, hands still holding onto his staff. He was sure that if he talked right now, his voice would be a shaking mess, so he decided against doing it. 

The red god let out a hum, nodding slightly themselves. “-Good. Because I’m here with some news about the blood ceremony.” 

Fire Spirit opened his eyes in shock, gulping slightly.   
Oh stars, just WHAT could the other be here to tell him about that?! Some small hopeful part of the fire god was hoping the other would say something around the lines of them not being able to use Knight for it anymore, that the ceremony would need to be delayed to a few more days, ANYTHING that could give Knight a chance to survive.

He knew better than to be hopeful like this, though. 

“-W-What news…?” Fire Spirit asked, voice shaking slightly. He could feel himself sweating nervously while he looked up at the red god. 

“-The ceremony won’t be three days from now.” Pitaya said, voice firm and expression blank while staring at the other, and arms continued to be crossed. 

Fire Spirit once again opened his eyes in surprise, mouth slightly open as well.   
Could the ceremony REALLY be delayed?! Did he have more time?! Did--

“-It will be on day 10th. In other words, tomorrow.” Pitaya interrupted the other thoughts, a slight smirk on their face while their tail moved around calmly. 

Fire Spirit could feel his blood running cold and his heart dropping.  
He was also pretty sure his hands were shaking while holding onto his staff, a petrified look on his face.

...Tomorrow…?  
TOMORROW?!

THE CEREMONY WOULD BE HAPPENING TOMORROW?!

No, no, nononono **NO!** That was THE WORST NEWS Fire Spirit could have heard! 

The fire god could feel his breath turning more erratic, the signs he was about to panic clear, luckily it didn’t seem like Pitaya had noticed. 

His mouth remained open, but no words came out. Fire Spirit doubted he would be able to speak even if he had to right now. 

Meanwhile, the grin on Pitaya’s face grew.

“-I know, what AMAZING news, isn’t it?!” They let out a quiet chuckle. “-You will be getting rid of that mortal even earlier! Isn’t that great?!” They walked in front of Fire Spirit, grin never going away while their tail moved around happily. 

Fire Spirit couldn’t look at them, he just remained staring at the ground, petrified and shocked.   
He was shaking, the thoughts in his mind racing and screaming he had failed Knight.

He failed to say the truth when he had the chance, now no matter what he did, Knight would be hurt, one way or another.

The red god didn’t seem to realize the state the other was in, as they continued to talk, eyes closed in a calm expression on their face. “-And sooner, you will be joining me and the others as a real God. Showing once and for all how WRONG all of them were to doubt me. And you…!” They let out a quiet chuckle, one hand gently slapping Fire Spirit shoulder, before they started to walk away from him.  
“-I’m sure this is a lot for you to take in, you must be SO overjoyed that you are speechless!” Pitaya grin grew, their pointy fangs showing clearly. “-But anyway, those were the news I had to tell you.” They let out a huff, closing their eyes as they began to walk further away from Fire Spirit, clearly getting ready to leave. “-The ceremony will start tomorrow at midday, so you and the human better be at the blood temple before that, because I REALLY don’t want to lose more of my time having to come here and drag you and him there--”

“-I… I can’t…” Fire Spirit interrupted the other thoughts, his eyes still open petrified and his focus was still distant while he held tightly on his staff to keep himself from falling. His voice was quiet and shaking. 

Pitaya stopped, not moving a single muscle. Their back still turned from Fire Spirit, the happy grin on their face fell.  
“-... What did you say…?” They asked, voice low. 

Fire Spirit jumped slightly, fighting a sob at the back of his throat, he weakly turned his gaze towards Pitaya’s back. “-I…” He tried to say between his erratic breathing, voice and body still clearly shaking. “-I… I can’t. I said I CAN’T!!” The fire god finally had found his voice again, shouting at the other. Closing his eyes, he brought his staff close to his body and leaned his head on it, gaze turning back to the ground while he tried to hold back the tears of fear that were trying to make their way to his face and to control his breath.

If Fire Spirit was scared before, he now was TERRIFIED. 

The silence between him and Pitaya was so dense, one could probably cut it with a knife.

And yet, Fire Spirit could feel the heat rising from where the red god was standing, their pinkish flames appearing all around them and on their arms and back, while their hair puffed up in anger.   
Their aura spelled danger. 

And for the first time in centuries, Fire Spirit felt like Pitaya was seriously about to kill him. 

The red god remained quiet, the flames around them growing and the heat intensifying. Finally, they slowly turned their head towards Fire Spirit, the unhappy and angry expression clear on their face, mouth set on a snarl with their fangs showing.  
 **“-Why.”** They asked between growls, voice dangerously low, piercing gaze still on Fire Spirit.

  
  


Fire Spirit let out a quiet gasp, still trying to control his breath, he slowly turned his gaze towards Pitaya’s direction once again. “-I-I…” The fire god gulped, eyes closing again. “-I just c-can’t Pitaya! I- I was wrong, I can’t do this! I-I can’t kill--”

His next words were interrupted by Pitaya quickly moving in front of him and grabbing him by his neck. Lifting him up into the air with their single gauntlet arm, making the fire god let out a pained gasp while letting go of his staff, that fell to the ground with a loud “thump”. Fire Spirit hands were quickly grabbing onto Pitaya’s, who still had a strong grip on him.

Now the fire god DEFINITELY was having a hard time breathing. 

“-You…” Pitaya growled, glaring angrily at Fire Spirit. “-Don’t you DARE go against me on this!!” They hissed on Fire Spirit’s face, who flinched. “-DON’T YOU DARE PROVE THOSE IDIOTS THAT THEY ARE RIGHT!! YOU THINK THIS IS JUST ABOUT YOU NOW?!” Their grip on Fire Spirit tightened, the flames around the red god growing as well. “-BECAUSE IT ISN’T! YOU **WILL** KILL THAT WORTHLESS HUMAN, AND PROVE TO THEM I DIDN’T MAKE A HUGE MISTAKE BY DECIDING TO TURN YOU INTO AN IMMORTAL!! YOU **WILL** PROVE TO THEM I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, AND DIDN’T JUST MAKE A DECISION OUT OF PITY!!” The red god continued to scream on Fire Spirit’s face, flames getting higher and higher around them, while the red god themselves was shaking slightly from anger.

Fire Spirit continued to struggle and gasp on the other arms, hands desperately holding onto Pitaya’s, trying to set himself free, while he tried to breath. 

He knew he couldn’t really die permanently as long as he was on the Gods realm.  
It didn’t mean the whole experience of dying for a few seconds wouldn’t be extremely painful. 

“-FOR CENTURIES, YOU **BEGGED** ME FOR A CHANCE TO PROVE YOURSELF!” Pitaya continued to scream, eyes filled with anger, never letting go of their grip on the other. “-AND FINALLY, I MANAGED TO CONVINCE THE OTHERS TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE! AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!” The fires around them were starting to burn the grass under them. “-I SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR YOU, TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO PROVE YOURSELF, A CHANCE TO FINALLY MAKE ME PROUD BY DOING SOMETHING GOOD FOR ONCE, AND YOU **DARE** TO TELL ME YOU CAN’T DO SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS KILLING A WORTHLESS HUMAN?!” 

Fire Spirit continued to gasp, one eye squinted close while the other was open, terrified look on it as he kept staring down at Pitaya, small tears beginning to make their way to the corners of his eyes. 

He could feel everything around him starting to get dark. He was getting dizzy.

He wasn’t even trying to hold back the tears anymore. 

Pitaya let out another growl, bringing the other closer to his face, while they continued to glare at him. “-You… You listen, and listen CLOSELY.” Snarling, they threw Fire Spirit on the ground in front of them, finally releasing the grasp on their neck, while the flames around them slowly began to die out.

The fire god immediately began to gasp for air, using one shaking arm to try to keep himself off the ground, while his other hand was around his neck, rubbing the area slightly. Still shaking, he slowly raised his head to stare at the other, the terrified look never leaving his face. 

The red god continued to growl, fangs showing in their snarl while they remained glaring down at Fire Spirit. “-You WILL come to the blood temple tomorrow, right on time, and that human WILL be with you, ready for you to kill him.” They pointed one finger towards the fire god, while their other hand had their fist clenched. “-Because if you don’t… I will PERSONALLY come and kill that human. Right. In front. Of YOU.” Pitaya let out a angry hiss. “-So don’t test my patience.”   
And after that, they turned and started to walk away from the other, who was still on the ground trying to catch his breath. Both their fist clenched tightly, small flames moving around on their shoulders, while their tail flicked around angrily. 

Fire Spirit continued to gasp, his breath was slowly returning to normal, but his breathing were coming out heavy, between him trying to hold back sobs and trying to not have a break down right there, while the Red god was still in front of him. 

Pitaya was a good few meters away from the other, their steps leaving burning marks behind, as their fire wings appeared behind them, ready to teleport away, the red god paused, taking a final glance at Fire Spirit from the corner of their head.  
“-...Once this is over, and you are a proper God, you will be thanking me.” They turned their gaze away. “-This is for your own good, Fire Spirit.” 

And with that, they closed their wings on themselves, bursting in flames, disappearing on the spot.  
Finally gone. 

And finally alone, Fire Spirit didn’t hold back the tears and sobs anymore.

Kneeling on the ground for good, the fire god held himself close, trying to make himself as small as possible, while his sobs were the only sounds in the night. His flame hair was smaller than normal, flicking every now and then, while he continued to hold onto himself as tightly as he could.

Fire Spirit honestly has no idea how long he stood there, crying his eyes out. His neck hurt, but he knew that would heal soon.

It was NOTHING compared to the pain in his chest right now. 

He was a coward. And because of that, his worst nightmare was going to become reality.

Knight was now in more danger than ever. 

And he didn’t have anymore time to think of a good enough solution. 

Letting out another sob, Fire Spirit gazed upwards, towards the night sky. He could feel his face was a mess right now, but that wasn’t important. 

Fire Spirit didn’t have a choice anymore.

He HAD to let Knight go, even if it meant he would never see the blond again.  
If it meant he would be safe, Fire Spirit had to do it. He had to send Knight back. 

Doing his best to clean his face with his arm, Fire Spirit slowly got up, a shaking hand grabbing back his staff that had been tossed away from him, using it to support himself so he wouldn’t fall down again.   
Trying to get a hold of his breath, the fire god slowly turned his gaze upwards, towards his castle, where he knew Knight was.

Peacefully sleeping. Not aware of anything…

Letting out a rough sigh, Fire Spirit slowly began to make his way back inside, a small determined look on his face.

He WOULD be saving Knight.  
Even if it meant his own death.

He was ready to sacrifice himself for the one he loved. Knight would NOT be dying at the Blood Ceremony, and that was a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I truly apologize for the delay to upload this chapter, but some things happened that i hope you guys will understand:
> 
> I recently just haven't been feeling well, anxiety and stuff, bad days, it happens sometimes. BUT ANYWAY. I was having annoying headaches (a combination from both, the anxiety AND my glasses which I have been needing to get a new pair for ages, but with how the world is right now, it ain't a top priority between my family) that made it impossible for me to concentrate and write the chapter, and I KNEW if i pushed myself to do it, not only would i made myself feel worse, but the chapter itself wouldn't be as good, and I would end up burning all my inspiration for nothing. So, I came to a decision:
> 
> Now, instead of a new chapter every other day, the new chapters will be released every TWO days. So for example, this chapter is going on June 9th, which means the next one will be going on June 12th.
> 
> I hope you guys can understand that, as always, thanks SO MUCH for the support you guys keep giving me for this AU. <3
> 
> On a brighter note! Some may like to know I'm actually FINALLY working on Pitaya's design for this AU! I should have it ready by the next chapter to share with you guys so, you have that to look forward as well~


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time is over.
> 
> And Fire Spirit makes his sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER!  
> First, I want to thank everyone for understanding my situation regarding the new update schedule, I'm happy to say I HAVE been doing better now that I have the two days break! (In fact I haven't had a headache or anything like that in almost four days! :D )
> 
> And second, I finally finished Pitaya's reference pic! Those who follow me on tumblr might already have seen it, but to those who don't, or just don't have a tumblr in general, just copy + paste the link bellow and check it out if you would like! 
> 
> https://galaxyacerodoesart.tumblr.com/post/620508800807567361/and-finally-after-a-long-time-we-got-a-reference
> 
> This most likely will be the last design i'll be doing and sharing in the fic, as there isn't really any other big characters appearing. Any future references would probably go on the future ask blog I have planned, as the characters appear and what not! 
> 
> Those were all the notes I had to say, so let's just get to the chapter! Not forgetting that if everything goes right, there might just be 4 + 1 epilogue chapters left~ ;3c

Knight woke up gasping, jumping in his bed.  
He didn’t really had a nightmare, not like the past times something similar to this happened. This time there were no burning fire, no terrifying beast, no destruction…

There wasn’t any comforting figure holding him either.

And yet, he just… Woke up, suddenly. 

It was like that feeling when you are about to fall asleep, but suddenly your body jerks up, while you have the sensation to be falling even while laying down, only it basically happened in reverse.  
He was already deep asleep, but a pulling feeling woke him up. 

Sitting up in the bed, Knight shakes his head slightly, still weirded out by the whole sensation. Squinting his eyes, he could see it was relatively bright outside, meaning it had to be at least morning already. Grunting, Knight turned his head to the side, trying to check what time it was on the clock by his left nightstand.

Making him open his eyes in surprise when he noticed something else by the nightstand.

There, sitting in front of the clock, was a plate filled with some bacon and eggs, alongside two slices of melon and a glass filled with what seems to be orange juice, a knife, a fork and a napkin neatly by its side, clearly supposed to be his breakfast. 

Frowning slightly in confusion, the blond looks past the clock, seeing to be around 7 AM, which makes him frown in confusion even more.  
He never had got breakfast in bed before, clearly that what it was, but the human really couldn’t think of a reason why he would be receiving something like that.

Still confused, Knight sits properly in the bed, putting a pillow behind his back and another one in his lap, he goes to pick up the plate, figuring he might as well eat what was left for him first and ask questions about it later.

As he lifts up the plate, he’s surprised to see a small folded paper. 

Letting the plate on the pillow in his lap while holding it in place with one hand, Knight carefully picks the note, unfolding it to see what it was about. 

He can feel himself getting nervous before even reading it, just by noticing how shaky the letters are, as if someone was clearly in a hurry or nervous when writing, he can also see some parts scribbled out, making it impossible to read.

Gulping slightly, Knight begins to eat quietly, one hand holding the note while he begins to read the note.

_“Knight,_

_Im really hoping you get up soon, I REALLY need you to get up so I can talk with you. Its important_

_I left some food for you to make things quicker  
_ ~~_sorry for breaking the tradition we had going on of having breakfast all together…_ ~~

_Anyway, eat and meet me downstairs as soon as you can.  
_ ~~_please try to be quick i don’t know how much time we'll have_ ~~

_-l ~~ove,~~ FS” _

That whole thing really makes him feel even more nervous.  
Specially since he could feel the bacon and eggs were already slightly cold, meaning the note and plate had to be left there a while ago. 

Putting the note aside, Knight continues to quickly eat, trying to swallow the food alongside his nerves. 

He’s trying to think of what might be happening, it’s almost like he could feel how nervous Fire Spirit was when writing the note…

And that combined with the feeling in his guts that something horrible is going on, REALLY doesn’t help his situation. 

In the end Knight only managed to eat about half of what was in his plate, finishing by drinking half of the juice glass.   
He feels like if he eats any more, he will get sick with how nervous he is. 

Quickly getting up, putting the plate and glass back in the nightstand, Knight just grabs a new set of clothes, figuring there is absolutely no time to take a bath this morning, he just puts on a new set of clothes.   
Finishing by putting on his new cape and brooch that he got from Fire Spirit as a gift as well. 

And in what probably is record time, Knight was already running downstairs, leaving the plate behind.

No time for that.

Not with that feeling in his gut screaming “danger” at him.

Part of Knight was really hoping he was just paranoid, that things were fine…

But when he finally was about to go downstairs, and was met with a clearly distressed Angel and a worried Devil staring at a even more distressed Fire Spirit, that is pacing around near the front door while trying to hide his face with one of the hands while the other kept holding his staff tightly… 

Knight was sure something was REALLY wrong.

* * *

Fire Spirit is panicking, and this time, is completely understandable.

He’s been trying to keep himself calm, but it’s been impossible. He doesn’t have time, he needs to work fast.

He still remembers going back inside, still a total mess, face clearly showing he has been crying for probably hours by now, Angel and Devil happily going to meet him, and pausing in fear when seeing his face.   
The little spirits were quickly to go to his side, asking questions and questions, worry clear on their faces.

But the fire god just held both of them tightly, not a single word from his mouth. 

They both were clearly confused, still deadly worried…  
But after taking another look on the fire god face, they just stay quiet, tightly hugging him back. 

It’s probably near 6AM, so Fire Spirit just gets to work.   
He prepares something for Knight to eat, last thing he wants is for the other to be hungry in a moment like this. Serving him some food is the least he can do right now, again, that got more questions from Angel and Devil, to which the fire god answers, voice still shaking, with a quiet:

_“I ran out of time. The ceremony is happening today.”_

Which was enough for them to understand. 

It takes less than 15 minutes for Fire Spirit to get everything ready, he quietly got upstairs, towards Knight room.  
He paused in front of the door, he remembered the promise to always knock on his door…

Fire Spirit lets out a quiet whine. He doesn’t have the luxury to do it this time. 

Quietly opening the door, he takes a look at the other in his bed, quietly sleeping.

Part of Fire Spirit was telling him to wake Knight now, to get it over with and get him out of there as quick as you can…  
But he can’t.   
He knows he SHOULD but…

Seeing the calm expression on the blond face stops him. He can’t bring himself to wake him up, not while he still look like a mess, Fire Spirit know the other will realize there is something wrong, and he can’t bring himself to have the whole situation be the first thing he wakes up to. 

So, closing his eyes, Fire Spirit just leaves the food on the nightstand, opening one of the drawers, he finds a piece of paper and a pen, and using the wall, he begins to write a note.

It’s really difficult between how much he is shaking, but he manages. 

Leaving the note under the plate, he moves away, eyes never leaving Knight’s face, while going out of the room.

He couldn’t bring himself to wake Knight up, but he REALLY hopes the other wakes up a little earlier than normal today… 

  
  


Fire Spirit been pacing around for what is probably almost an hour now.

Angel and Devil keep trying to get him to talk, but he just can’t tell them more than he already did.

Finally, after what feels like ages, there is the sound of footsteps running towards the staircase, and on top of it, there is Knight. Clearly nervous look on his face. Angel and Devil are the first to shot their heads upwards, looking back at him. Fire Spirit still too caught up in his own head to notice.

“-...Fire Spirit…?” Knight asks, voice low, confusion and fear on his face. 

That has the fire god shouting his head towards Knight, letting out a gasp, Fire Spirit is quickly floating upstairs, leaving his staff behind, and before Knight can ever register it, Fire Spirit is wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Knight let out a gasp in surprise.

As the other has his arms wrapped around him, he can feel the fire god is clearly shaking.

Without thinking twice, the blond is hugging him back. 

“-Fire Spirit…” The human whispers, feeling the other head resting on his shoulder. “-What… What’s going on?” 

Fire Spirit let out a quiet whine, trying to hold another sob. Taking a shaky breath, he tries his best to answer the other.   
“-W-We need to g-go.” 

“-W-what?” Knight asks, confusion in his voice.

The fire god finally let go of the other, putting his hands on his shoulders instead, the desperate look on his face. “-W-we need to go. D-did you eat what I left for you?” His voice is still barely a whisper.

Knight can feel the panic on Fire Spirit voice, which has him panicking as well. “-What? I- Yes, only h-half of it, but--”

“-Then we need to go, NOW.” The fire god interrupts, grabbing Knight’s right wrist and going as quick as he can downstairs without making the other trip. 

The blond let out a surprised yelp, quickly catching his balance while being dragged downstairs.   
“-F-Fire Spirit! P-please! Tell me what’s going on!” Knight can feel his voice is desperate, his heart is racing, and he can still feel the god shaking.

Fire Spirit just let out another whine, not answering him. His breath is getting erratic, but he can’t focus on that now, this isn’t about him now. He squints his eyes, trying to keep his tears from falling for a second, before opening them again so he can quickly grab his staff, never letting go of Knight’s wrist, and still running towards the front door. 

Knight gulps, he’s breathing fast. Fire Spirit almost has him outside now, but it’s clear for the human the god isn’t answering him now. 

Just before Fire Spirit has him outside, Knight quickly look back, seeing the forms of Angel and Devil standing near the staircase.

Angel has tears on their eyes, hiding their face on Devil’s shoulder, while hugging them.  
And Devil has their head gazing the ground, but Knight is pretty sure he saw small tears in the small red spirit as well, and one of their arm is around Angel’s back. 

Their crying desolated faces, is the last thing Knight sees, before the front doors are closing and Fire Spirit continues to drag him towards the front gates.

  
  


And just as fast, before Knight realizes, both him and the fire god are outside the castle, in the front gates. The blond is still looking at Fire Spirit, both of them are breathing fast, both from the running and the clear panic, but Fire Spirit eyes are still distant, not looking at Knight, the hold on his wrist never weakening. 

Knight takes a quick look around the place.

… He’s pretty sure those burning marks on the grass around weren’t there when he had first arrived at this place… 

Knight is once again trying to get the fire god attention, but before he can, the hand on his wrist is sliding down, taking grab of his hand instead. 

The human just tights the hold on the other hand, swallowing an invisible lump on his throat, he closes his eyes tightly. He has a feeling he knows what’s about to happen.

And sure enough, not long after, there is a burst of flames, and the world in moving around him.

* * *

When the flames go away, Knight feels himself get dizzy once again, definitely way better than the first time he did this whoever. Eyes closed, he takes a deep breath, trying to get a hold of himself while keeping his head down.

The hold on his hand doesn’t go away.

After a few minutes, Knight is blinking quickly, there is a bright light around him, clearly sunlight. Finally, he lifts up his head, and after his eyes adjusts to the light, he can’t help the gasp of surprise that comes out of him, eyes shouting up in shock as well.

He’s back at the forest.

The forest he grew around in.

He’s back in the mortals realm, near the entrance of the village.

Knight continues to stare around in shock, mouth agape. Before his gaze turns forward, staring at Fire Spirit back.  
Who still hasn’t looked at him, or let go of his hand.

“-...Fire Spirit…?” The blond once again whispers, trying to get his attention again.

The hold on his hand just tightens even more.

Knight frowns, his heart racing, he opens his mouth again ready to try to speak to him again.

But before he can, the sound of the fire god sobbing quietly has him stop.

The human let out another gasp, panic and desperate look on his face as he slowly walks near the fire god, the hold on his hand tightening.  
As he was about to touch the other shoulder with his free hand, the whispering crying voice of Fire Spirit stops him.

“-I’m sorry…” Fire Spirit says, between his tears. His eyes are closed, the tears falling down his face freely as he holds the other hand, while the other is holding his staff. His shoulders are shaking, so is his body.

He can’t hold back the tears and panic anymore.

Not now that he is here. Not when Knight is right there next to him.

He is about to let him go, and the pain in his heart hurts more than any injuries he ever had to deal with. 

The fire god lets out a quiet whine, finally turning his head to look at Knight on his side, the look of pain clear between his tears.  
Knight stares back at him, the clear confusion and panic on his blue eyes.

“-W… What do you mean? Fire Spirit what--” Knight gulps, pausing slightly for a second. “-Please… What’s going on? Just- Just tell me…” He asks, voice calm. Knight is standing right next to Fire Spirit, holding his hand tightly even more. 

“-I lied to you.” The fire god says quickly, before letting out another sob. “-I’ve been lying to you...” His voice shaking, barely a whisper. Knight is sure he only heard it due to how close he was.   
Fire Spirit continues to sob, eyes closed. He let’s go of his staff, that falls to the ground, the free hand now covering his eyes. 

Knight continues to stare, the worried look never leaving his face.

He isn’t understanding anything. His heart is racing.  
  


Again, he is about to say something, but Fire Spirit turning right towards him, teary hurtful face, has him stopping, mouth slightly open.

“-I…” Fire Spirit takes a deep breath, his breathing is shaky, but he’s trying his best to FINALLY tell everything to the blond. “-When… When you first arrived, Y-you asked me, what I planned to do with you, remember…?” He continues to stare at him, the tears still falling, while slowly caressing Knight’s hand with his thumb. 

Knight just nods quietly.

The fire god bite his lips, taking another shaky breath before continuing. “-I said… That for the time being, it was nothing. And… It wasn’t. For the time being…” He averts his eyes from Knight, gazing at the ground between them instead. “-I… I knew what I was going to do, from the moment I attacked your village. I had a whole plan, a whole trial set up for me…”

The blond raises his eyebrows slightly, his mouth is still slightly open, and he is clearly still panicking, not aware of what’s going on, he just remains quiet, listening to the other talk. 

“-The truth is… I’m NOT a God Knight…” Fire Spirit lets out a shaky hurtful laugh. 

That has Knight opening his eyes even more, the panic going away for a second, giving place to shock.  
“-...What…?” He asks, barely a whisper, eyes never leaving the other head.

Fire Spirit let out another painful chuckle. “-I’m not a God. I’m a demigod. I…” He sniffs, trying to clean his face with his free hand for a moment. “-I think Angel might have told you something about it? Not… Not about demigods themselves but... How there are some?” He looks back at Knight shocked face, the hurt expression never leaving his face. 

The human do remembers Angel mentioning something about “demigods”. If he remembers well, they said they were under the Gods in the hierarchy, but truth be told, Knight never had bothered to ask more about it.  
Still shocked, Knight just nods at Fire Spirit question once again.

The fire go- DEMIgod let out a quiet sigh. “-Well… I’m not a God, but for CENTURIES, That’s all I wanted to be.” A pause. “-A demigod can ascend into a proper God by completing some challenge, or trial, proposed by the current Gods, and that’s what I was doing.” His gaze is distant, staring at the ground again. “-I had to go to your village, get the heir, and bring them back.” He pauses, before letting out another chuckle. “-But guess you guys managed to trick me on that, huh…?” 

Knight is shouting his eyes in surprise again, a quiet gasp leaving his mouth.  
Did… Did Fire Spirit…?  
“-You… You mean you know I’m--” 

“-That you are not your village heir? Yeah… I do…” Fire Spirit interrupts, small weak smile on his face, gaze still away from Knight’s. “-Not gonna lie, you DID trick me. It was the other Gods that pointed that out when I already had brought you into the Gods realm.” The small smile on his face falls. “-I… I was honestly panicking, and angry. I thought I had been tricked by a mortal, and they were about to take away my life dream, but… Turns out, it was fine. You weren’t their heir, but you were your village most skillful warrior, which… Made it possible to use you…” Fire Spirit voice gets quieter, a sad frown in his face. 

Knight is still processing what he just heard. He… He knew? Since basically the start?   
And… What did Fire Spirit meant by "using him"...?

Before Knight can ask for more details about it, Fire Spirit lets out another whine, shutting his eyes tightly once again, before continuing, voice shaking, trying to not cry again. “-You… Still could be used, for the Blood Ceremony.” He pauses, biting his lower lip, Fire Spirit can hear Knight letting out a shocked gasp, the grasp on his hand weakens slightly.   
Fire Spirit just takes another shaky breath. “-As… As you can imagine by the name, the Blood Ceremony is… Not a nice thing. I basically had to sacrifice a human on cold blood in the Blood temple, in front of the other Gods, and finally, I would prove myself to be ruthless and powerful, I would prove I could be a God.” He lets out another quiet sob, eyes still fixated on the ground.

Meanwhile, Knight can feel the tears appearing in his own eyes.  
So that was the plan Fire Spirit had for him all along.

Death.

His destiny in the Gods realm really was death from the start. 

The blond own gaze turns towards the ground. His heart is racing and is hurt.

He knows for sure that hurt isn’t really physical, and he knows exactly WHY is hurting.   
Hearing Fire Spirit, the one Knight had found himself falling for, saying he had planned to kill him from day one, HAD to hurt a lot, no matter how he looked at it.

The fire demigod takes another deep breath. “-S-since you weren’t the heir, The method until the time was right had to change slightly. I… I couldn’t just let you stay in my castle and go on with my own life until it was time for the ceremony, no…” He bites his lip again, finally looking up at Knight’s face. “-I had to get closer to you. Create a bond, earn your trust…S-so then, when the time for the ceremony came, I would betray that trust. Leaving you heartbroken...” 

That makes the pain in Knight’s chest grow even more. The tears are slowly falling from his eyes, as his breathing continues to get faster, the hurt look on his eyes as he stares back at Fire Spirit’s red eyes. 

So that’s why Fire Spirit was getting close to him. 

That’s why his self preservation kept screaming at Knight from the back of his head.

Because it was a trick.

Knight had fallen for someone tricking him.

The blond bites his own lips, trying to hold back a sob, as he's trying to pull himself away from Fire Spirit. The pain he’s feeling right now is worst than anything he remembers having to deal with in the past, but the other still has a strong grip on him, so he just takes one step back, closing his eyes tightly, and turning his head to the side, while the tears continue to flow. 

Fire Spirit himself lets out another sob, tears flowing again.   
He saw Knight attempting to move away, felt him trying to let go of his hand.

His own heart continues to hurt.  
He imagines for a moment THAT was the feeling the Gods were hoping Knight would feel when Fire Spirit had to betray him.

And he decides he definitely hates that. That has to be one of the worst feelings he ever had to go through.

And just imagining Knight must be feeling it right now, is enough to make him let out another sob. 

But he continues to talk. He can’t stop now, Knight NEEDS the whole truth. 

Attempting his best to talk between the sobs, Fire Spirit takes another deep shaky breath. “-A-And… That WAS what I was trying to do when I started…” 

Fire Spirit sees Knight flinching. Trying to hide his face in the cape.  
The cape Fire Spirit himself had given to him. 

“-B-But…” Closing his eyes, Fire Spirit takes another breath, he slowly lifts his free hand towards Knight face, touching his right cheek, making the human look at him.

That makes the blond jump slightly, watery blue eyes with a betrayed and hurt look on them staring back at Fire Spirit. Knight face is red, but is clearly from the crying.   
Knight continue to stare, he knew he shouldn’t listen to anything else the fire demigod had to say but…

He couldn’t tear his gaze away.  
So he doesn’t attempt to move away from the hand on his face either.

With one hand on his face, and the other holding his hand tightly, Knight just stares at Fire Spirit, mouth slightly open, while the tears continue to go down his cheeks. 

For a moment, he can hear Fire Spirit hand that is on his cheek letting out a quiet “tss” sound whenever one of his tears touch it, but in the moment they are, that’s definitely not something he decides to focus on.

Fire Spirit pauses, hand never leaving the other face, before he finally looks at Knight’s face. “-Things changed.” He lets out a quiet hiccup. “-As- As I got closer and closer to you I…” He turns his gaze away from Knight. “-I… I began to realize just… How amazing you were.” 

Knight eyes open in surprise again.  
Suddenly, he can’t deduce if the red on his face is just from crying anymore.

The other continues, eyes still away from Knight. “-I… I began to realize, just how great it was to be near you. How… How HAPPY it made me.” Fire Spirit gulps, pausing, he closes his eyes and let out a sigh, before finally gazing back at Knight blue eyes. “-Before I realized… I had fallen in love with you, Knight.” 

Knight eyes open even more, a gasp leaving his mouth while the hold on Fire Spirit tightens.  
The red on his face DEFINITELY isn’t just from crying anymore. 

Did… Did Fire Spirit just said he had fallen in love with him?

Did he just say he ACTUALLY love him, just as Knight love him? 

The blond continues to stare at the other in shock, still processing everything. Fire Spirit is also staring at him, with a painful look on his red eyes while biting his lips. He isn’t saying anything, clearly giving the human time to realize what he just said. 

That self preservation part of Knight was once again screaming.  
Saying it was a trick.  
Why wouldn’t it be? Fire Spirit clearly was tricking Knight from day one!

…

…

But…

Looking at the demigod’s face, Knight can’t find a trace of lies on it.

All he sees is the truth, between the pain and tears. 

And that has him crying even more.   
Because he realizes that for the first time, he can read Fire Spirit perfectly.

And he could see the fire demigod truly loved him.

Just like Knight himself loved him. 

The blond is sobbing, his free hand quickly moving to his face, covering his mouth.

Fire Spirit moves closer to Knight, thumb caressing the other face gently. He lets out a sad chuckle. “-And… I’ve been trying to tell you this, the whole truth, for SO long… Since I came to the realization I loved you basically…” He pauses for a second, sad smile on his face while his gaze moves away from Knight face. “-But I was SO afraid Knight… What I feel towards you is something I never felt for anyone before, I…” Fire Spirit bits his lips, pausing for a second. “-I was selfish. I didn’t want to lose it, I didn’t want to lose you…” Another pause, he takes a deep breath. “-But in the end, I was trying to avoid the inevitable. The Gods were already expecting for me to do the sacrifice, they already knew you were there, they knew where you came from, and they wouldn’t care how I felt.” A quiet sob. “-In trying to protect you as much as I could, while still having you near me, I lost too much time. And now, I literally can’t keep avoiding it anymore.” 

Between his tears, Knight continues to stare at him.   
He never felt like this, he could feel the pain in Fire Spirit’s words, the love those words carried…

His tears continue to flow.

The fire demigod takes another shaky breath in. “-The ceremony, originally was supposed to happen twelve days after I first brought you home, but…” He frowns sadly, pain in his face. “-The Red god visited me last night, and they told me the plans had changed.” He lowered his head. “-The ceremony is happening today. At midday.” 

Knight just continued to stare at Fire Spirit, fear running in his face for a moment.

So today was when it was supposed to happen…

Today, in a few hours, was when the other Gods expected Fire Spirit to kill him.

Fire Spirit let out a pained whine. “-And obviously, I CAN’T let that happen.” He stares back at Knight, finally letting go of his hand, so he can use both of them to hold onto the blond’s face, gently caressing it. “-I promised myself, I wouldn’t let you die. And no matter what, that’s what I’m going to do.” He continues to stare, the sad expression finally going away for a second to give place to a determined look. 

Their faces are centimeters apart, Knight can feel the other comforting warmth while he holds onto him.

Yet, with everything he’s hearing, Knight can’t bring himself to get calm like usual by that comfort. 

Before Knight realizes, Fire Spirit is moving even closer to his face. Touching their foreheads, while his eyes are closed and his thumbs are caressing his face gently. 

This gets a slight jump from Knight, but he doesn’t move away.

He leans into the other touch, closing his own teary eyes. 

Fire Spirit takes a deep breath, still leaning towards Knight, he whispers, just enough for the other to hear. “-And no matter how painful it is to me, I realized I had no other options…” A sniff. “-The only chance of you living, was if I brought you back, back to your home. A-away from me...” More tears fell down his face. “-They know you are here, but at least this way, there is a chance you can escape. You can live.”   
He gently lifts his head away from the other, their face are still centimeters away, when Fire Spirit opens his eyes again, the tears continue to fall down his sorrowful face, never stopping the caresses on Knight’s face.   
“-K-Knight… Please, look at me…” He almost begs, Fire Spirit is still whispering, voice shaking. 

Knight immediately opens his own tear filled eyes, looking at the other, sniffing slightly. Knight’s own hands gently holding on top of Fire Spirit’s. 

The fire demigod lets out a pained sigh. “- I-I need you to listen to me…” He pauses for a second, gulping. “-You need to go back to your village, and have EVERYONE evacuate, as fast and far as you all can.” Fire Spirit voice is still barely a whisper, a conversation just for the two of them to hear. He’s trying to look strong, but clearly isn’t working. 

“-W-What…?” Knight speaks for the first time in what feels like ages. His voice is shaking, even lower than Fire Spirit’s. He is staring at him, fear beginning to make its way to his face.

He has a feeling in his guts he knows where this is going, and he hates it.

“- Y-You all need to run, as far as you can.” Fire Spirit bites his lips for a second, eyes never leaving Knight’s. “-Y-you can tell the basic truth. That The Red God of Fire is coming, and they are going to attack and destroy everything and everyone.” He frowns. “-Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen…” 

Knight is shouting his eyes in fear, involuntarily moving closed to Fire Spirit, having their foreheads almost touch again. “-W-wait, w-what?! W-what do you mean?” His voice is still shaking, between the fear, panic and tears.

Fire Spirit closes his eyes again, properly leaning towards Knight and having their foreheads touch again. “-When Red came by last night, I told them. I told them I couldn’t do it, I didn’t WANT to do it…” He let out another sob, pausing for a second. “-And they got furious. And now, If I don’t appear with you in the time I was given, they WILL come after me, after you.” He lift his head slightly, still having their foreheads touching, while opening his eyes to look back at Knight. “-And they will kill not only you, but everyone else as well. S-So please…” Closing his eyes again, the demigod leans in even closer. “-Just go, get everyone to safety. I can’t let anything happen to you Knight, and that means making sure everyone you care and love are safe as well…” 

The blond bits his lips, he can still feel the tears down his face while he looks at Fire Spirit closed eyes.

He heard what he says, and he remembers the tales about the Red God.

Whenever they went, fire and destruction followed. If they wanted something or someone gone, they got it done.  
If they wanted to destroy and kill everyone in Knight’s village, they easily would make that a reality.

Knight suddenly remembers the nightmares he had, and suddenly, it feels like they weren’t just random nightmares.

Closing his eyes tightly, making more tears fall, Knight can only nod, agreeing with Fire Spirit plan.  
He doesn’t have a clue HOW he’ll get everyone to listen to him and do as he say, but he knew he couldn’t deny or ignore the other plan. Not with everything going on. 

That gets a quiet sad chuckle from Fire Spirit, who is still leaning towards Knight. “-I knew I could count on you, buttercup…” He whispers, sad smile on his face while opening his eyes slightly to look back at Knight’s.

Knight suddenly has a realization that has him opening his eyes in terror again.  
“-W-wait…” The blond whispers, voice cracking. “-F-Fire Spirit… What… What about you? Where--”

Fire Spirit silences him completely, before he can say anything else.  
By surprising him, when he suddenly captures Knight’s lips with his.

The kiss feels incredible, and it has Knight’s heart beating fast in happiness, while the blond closes his eyes. It’s like the comforting warmth that always followed Fire Spirit was completely engulfing Knight. 

The blond was kissing the fire demigod back as soon as he got over his initial shock. 

Just like the figure from his dream, being there with the fire demigod made him feel happy, safe, despite the current situation happening.

The kiss was gentle, full of love, and lasted probably for a few seconds, even if it felt like hours.

The fire demigod was the one breaking it apart, slowly moving away from Knight, once again moving to rest their foreheads together. 

Knight had opened his eyes slowly, face probably as red as Fire Spirit hair right now, he just stared at the other equally red face, mouth slightly open.   
There was a lot he wanted to say, but it was like Fire Spirit had taken away his voice with his kiss, so all he could do was stare. 

Then, with a even lower whisper, Fire Spirit caught his attention again.   
“-I’ll give you all as much time as I can, as long as my body can take it, until my last breath…” He caresses Knight face with his hands again, a sad smile on his face while some more small tears began to make their way to the corner of his eyes.

And with a final small kiss on the blond forehead, the fire god was moving away, picking his staff from the ground.

When he felt the other moving away, it was like Knight finally had processed just what was the meaning behind Fire Spirit words.

Which made him open his eyes again, the terror and pain evident in his face.   
“-F-FIRE SPIRIT, WAIT--” He tried to move forwards as fast as he could, hold back onto Fire Spirit. 

But the fire demigod was already floating high off the ground, holding his staff tightly near his body, a sad smile on his pained face, small tears still in his eyes, he kept looking at Knight, who was staring at him in terror.  
“-Thank you for being one of the best things to happen to me in my immortal life, buttercup.” A sniff. “-I hope I’ll be able to look after you from the afterlife, and see you growing happy.” 

And before Knight could say or do anything else, Fire Spirit was bursting off, flying faster than Knight ever thought he could, a trail of flames following him, almost like he was a comet.

And so, he was gone.

Knight just stood there, tears freely falling down his face. The realization of the meaning of Fire Spirit words screaming in his head.

Fire Spirit wasn’t planning on coming back. He didn’t expect to. 

And if what Knight knew about the Red God was true, he too knew there was no way Fire Spirit could go against them.

Knight was then falling onto his knees, sobbing even more. A turmoil of emotions going off in his heart.

He just learned the one he loved, loved him back.  
And know he felt he was about to lose him. Forever.

He continued to sob. All his life he had trained to protect those he cared about, those important to him…  
But now, he felt completely useless. He had to sit put and see the one he loved dying for him. 

Knight suddenly opened his eyes, remembering the lurking danger Fire Spirit warned him about in the first place.

Getting up, Knight tried his best to clean his face, but he knew it was useless. The tears didn’t want to stop. 

Taking a quick look around, he realized he was probably a few meters away from the village.

Letting out a shaky breath, Knight turned, and began to run towards the village entrance, as quick as his legs could take him.   
He was glad he knew those paths by heart, because he definitely can’t see the path with his wet eyes. 

Knight is scared, more than he ever has been before.  
But he keeps running.

He promised Fire Spirit to warn everyone back home.  
And right now, he was promising himself he would see Fire Spirit again, no matter what he had to do.

  
Fire Spirit was going to fight to protect him.  
And he would do what he was always ready to do, fight to protect who he cared about.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knight arrives back at his old home and desperately tries to talk with his old village. 
> 
> And Pitaya makes their way to the mortals realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! And things will get F U N ;)  
> This chapter might be a liiittle slow than some were expecting, but that's because the REAL fun starts next chapter :3c

Pitaya walked around their home restless, growling quietly, with their arms on their back and tail flicking around.

They were mad.

Mostly frustrated, to be honest, and maybe a little bit nervous.

The visit with Fire Spirit really had been something.

Things got out of hand. They will admit that MAYBE they went a little too far…  
It’s not their fault Fire Spirit doesn’t realize what is at the table here.

Fire Spirit doesn’t realize they are doing this for his own good. 

It’s important Fire Spirit begins to take things seriously, it has been centuries since he had first turned into an immortal, for crying out loud! He SHOULD be acting like a god by now! 

Pitaya shouldn’t have to listen to the others complaints and comments on how their heir was a joke, and clearly someone turned immortal by them just because the Red god felt sorry for them. 

Just because “The Red God of Destruction” had been merciful once, and felt pity for a human, taking him under their own wings.

Pitaya growled at all the memories.  
Why couldn’t the others just understand where they were coming from?! 

  
  


...Of course they didn’t. They just saw all that as “Red growing a soft spot for the mortals.” 

And Pitaya hated how right they were. 

They didn’t MEAN to get that attached when saving that child who was treated with scorn basically his whole life for absolutely nothing.  
I mean,seriously, how DARE that old fart of a priest say he was cursed? Any good priest would realize that if he had survived a fire like that, he would have to be blessed by them if than anything!

So yeah, MAYBE Pitaya was furious when they heard his story.   
And MAYBE they didn’t think twice before offering him the chance to become immortal. 

And now they had to deal with the other four pulling their tail because of that to this day.

Saying how Fire Spirit is a nuisance, a disappointment for immortal kind, and absolutely not fit for a proper god title. 

Pitaya sighed, crossing their arms. That whole ceremony was just as important for themselves as it was for Fire Spirit.   
Because it would once and for all prove they didn’t make a mistake, it would prove Fire Spirit had his worth.

That he was deserving to be called a God.

The Red God frowned, they were really hoping this whole ceremony would go smoothly. WHY would Fire Spirit have a problem killing a mortal, after all?  
...But Pitaya also knew Fire Spirit well enough to know he wouldn’t be doing it.

His face, his tone of voice… Fire Spirit wasn’t lying when he told them he couldn’t do it.

And while that made them angry, truth is, it also made them afraid.  
Because Pitaya had no idea what the others could do if Fire Spirit didn’t prove he was worthy, that he wasn’t a disappointment, soon.

And that got the Red God afraid and frustrated. It made them lash out like that.  
In the end, they weren’t lying when they said they were doing this for his own good.

But right now, it made the red god more angry than everything.

They were angry at Fire Spirit, for bugging them for centuries for a chance like this, to now go and say he couldn’t do it.  
They were angry at Ivory, Blue, Gold and Violet, for always pestering them with their comments about Fire Spirit, and about themselves. About how they had grown soft, that they had changed.  
And most importantly, they were angry at themselves.

For always doing everything to prove the other four gods they were wrong. That they didn’t change. 

They remember Millennial Tree saying how change wasn’t a bad thing… That Pitaya didn’t need to fear or ignore it.  
And that just got them to attempt to burn down his entire forest, just to try to prove he was wrong.

They WEREN’T growing soft.  
They were still the Red God of Fire and Brimstone, bringer of destruction.

And they WOULD be proving that to the others. Even if they had to go against the very own being they had tried to keep safe for centuries. 

That human WOULD be dying today, no matter what.

Pitaya stepped outside, staring at the sky. They could tell it was almost 10AM. Two hours for the ceremony.

The ceremony they were sure Fire Spirit would try to escape from.

  
  


So, they decided to check in with him a little earlier, just to attempt to change that.   
As they were teleporting away, part of them really hoped they would be wrong. That Fire Spirit would come to his senses, realize what was at the table here, who were the ones who would be affected by this, the DANGER he would be putting himself in…

But as they found themselves in front of Fire Spirit castle, and couldn’t feel a trace of the human or Fire Spirit himself, Pitaya knew their intuition was right. 

Fire Spirit was gone, and definitely taken the human with him.  
And there was only one place both could have gone to. 

Growling angrily, Pitaya felt their fire wings appearing on their back again, their pink flames burned bright and dangerous around them. The red god bared their teeth, clenching their fist in anger, they could feel their claymore sword appearing in their hand.   
They couldn’t let the others find him before they did. 

They would make sure that human died. No matter what.  
Pitaya would take down Fire Spirit himself to make sure that happened.

They would prove they could do it. They would show them they were still the same they always were.

And so, their wings embraced themselves, and without a second to waste, they were gone to the mortals realm.  
Ready to finish this mess once and for all.

* * *

Knight was running, he didn’t dare to stop no matter how much his legs were hurting.  
No matter how wet his face still was from all the crying he still was doing. 

He kept going, until he could see the familiar dirt path that would take him to the entrance of the village. 

When the blond finally could see the entrance, he was out of breath, from both the running and panic he was going through. Shaking, he kept himself from falling by leaning on a nearby tree with one of his hands, the other on his knees, while he tried to keep his breathing under control.

Knight was still having a hard time realizing just what was happening around him.

He was back. That wasn’t a trick or a dream, what he was seeing around him was real, he was there. 

...And Fire Spirit wasn’t.   
Fire Spirit had gone off to what probably could be his death, to protect Knight.

Because Fire Spirit really loved Knight. 

Knight could feel himself almost crying again with the thought. 

For the first time in a while, the blond felt himself panicking because he didn’t have a plan. His idea was to do what the other had told him to, warn his village, get everyone to evacuate and move as far as they could, away from the danger.   
He had no idea how all that would go, whoever.   
But most importantly, he had no idea what to do about Fire Spirit.

The other was going to attempt to hold back the Red God. Knight knew he didn’t stand a chance against them, Fire Spirit himself knew that… But that didn’t stop him. Fire Spirit knew he would be at disadvantage, but went anyway.

Because the fire demigod loved him. 

And because of that, because Knight loved him back, Knight couldn’t stand still and let it happen. He couldn’t let Fire Spirit get himself killed like that.   
But this was a even bigger God they were talking about. The blond didn’t stand a chance against Fire Spirit himself, who apparently wasn’t even a full God, Knight would be killed in the blink of an eye if the Red God felt like it. 

And with all the training he ever did, Knight was hating himself for being terrified right now. Terrified for Fire Spirit’s life, terrified for the safety of everyone back in the village…

Terrified with the idea of losing the one he loved to a threat he wouldn’t stand a chance against. 

Shaking his head, Knight decided to try to not focus on that right now. Right now, he needed to get everyone as far away as he could.  
Who knows… Maybe if everyone is away before the Red God arrives, Fire Spirit wouldn’t need to attempt holding them back, right…? 

...Yeah, Knight didn’t have that good of a feeling about that.

Regardless, with his breath a little more under control now, Knight raised his head, staring back at the village entrance. He could see some children happily playing around, some people just chatting, smiling among themselves, without a care in the world.

Just like Knight remembers it being. 

The blond gulps, he have no idea what will happen when they see him. All of them knew what happened, what he did. He can’t expect to just come back and not have everyone asking questions about it.  
No one expected to ever see him again, after all.

But Knight wasn’t there for it, he wasn’t there to see everyone and reunite with them, he was here to warn them of danger, to have them move as fast as he could. And to do to that, there was only one way.

He had to go and immediately talk with Chief. If the elder man ordered everyone to move due to danger, they would listen. 

As much as Knight would love to be able to sneak in and not cause a scene, he knows he doesn't have the time to do that.  
So, with a determined expression, he once again tries to clean his messy face the best he can, he knows anyone can tell he has been crying, but he doesn’t care about it now.

Knight takes a deep breath, holding his blue cape tightly.  
The blue cape Fire Spirit gave to him.

Hand resting on top of the golden pin, Knight closes his eyes for a second, taking another deep breath, he looks back at the village determined. He has to make a run straight to the center of the village, to Chief’s house. 

With one hand still grasping the cape tightly, while the other is by his side, Knight doesn’t waste any more time.  
And so, he is running down the village entrance, going straight to his destination. 

He is going to do what he always trained to do. He will protect those in need.

He will protect those he loves.  
And that includes fire demigods attempting to sacrifice themselves for him.

  
  


Knight continues to run, he bumps every now and then on someone, but he doesn’t stop. He just offers them a quick “sorry” before continuing.

He can hear the whispers and gasps all around him. People already are aware who he is. But not a single of them are going after him, they are moving away, some back into their homes, as if scared of him, of what his presence there could mean.

The clothes probably aren’t helping, but then again, is not like Knight is trying to hide who he is. He just isn’t worried about that, and just continues to run. 

It’s when he runs past a familiar figure with teal hair, that he can feel someone starts to follow him.   
He can hear Pistachio shouting his name behind him, but he continues towards the Chief’s house, he can see it in the distance, he’s so close! He’s basically at their door! Just a little bit more--

And then he just feels someone tackling him to the ground. 

Grunting in pain, Knight falls on the hard ground, someone has his right arm held on his back, clearly trying to immobilize him. The blond continues to struggle, trying to get himself free, he can feel the hold on him growing stronger, trying to hold him back, but he can’t stop now.

He has to tell them, he has to warn everyone, he has to! He can’t let Fire Spirit die like that, he needs to warn everyone quickly so they can move and he can go after him, he has to, HE HAS TO--

A surprised familiar gasp, followed by a feminine voice he knows well has him stopping.

“-K-Knight…?” That familiar voice whispers, voice clearly shaking. “-K-KNIGHT?! OH MY GODS, I-IS THAT REALLY YOU?!” 

The blond quickly raised his head, opening his eyes in shock.   
As standing there, tears in her eyes and mouth agape, was Princess, who was quickly running towards Knight’s direction. 

Knight also looked back for a second, seeing the equally shocked face of Pistachio, who still was now getting off him, offering him a hand getting up, which Knight took without hesitation.  
He had been stopped, but at least he was right where he wanted to be. 

Princess was running to his side, shaking slightly, she reached a hand towards Knight hesitantly.   
“-Is… Is really you, right?” She sniffed, trying to get a hold of her tears. “-I’m… I’m not having some other stupid nightmare, am I?”

Knight bit his lips, he could feel tears making it way to his face once again while looking at the pink haired girl.  
He wanted to be quick, not waste time but…

He couldn’t ignore his best friend crying her eyes out like this.

Offering her a small smile, Knight opened his arms. “-Who else would it be?” He whispered, letting out a quiet laugh. “-I told you I would be alright, didn’t I?” 

The girl let out another gasp, covering her mouth with her hands while more tears were falling down. And in a matter of seconds, she was running towards Knight open arms, hugging him tightly. 

Knight just hugged her back, letting her cry in his shoulders.

He honestly missed her.

They stayed like that for probably a minute or so, Knight would have loved to be able to just sit down and talk with her, tell everything to his best friend… But he still had a more important thing to deal with.

And he couldn’t waste time anymore.

Slowly, he let go of Princess, who was still crying her eyes out, mumbling incomprehensible things to herself while trying to clean her tears with her own hands.   
Knight gently took hold of Princess shoulders with his own hands, making her look back at him, at his own tearful eyes. He still was panicking and afraid, but he had to do this and get it done as soon as he could.   
“-P-Princess…” He started, voice low. “-I...I know you have a lot of questions…” Knight took a glance backwards, catching Pistachio nervous and confused glare, the blond bit his lips before turning back fully at the pink haired girl. “-You… You both have, but…” He let out a shaky sigh. “- I-I need to talk with your father. Please, the safety of the whole village is at risk!” 

“-W-what…?” Princess replied, confused look on her face. “-W-what do you mean? Why… Why would the village be at risk?! Knight did--” The girl let out a quiet gasp. “-D-Did you...Somehow escape from the fire god…?”

Knight shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head quickly, the hold on Princess shoulder never going away.   
“-N-No! I Didn’t!” He could hear how desperate his own voice sounded. “-Princess, PLEASE! I know you have questions! I-I can answer them later! B-But again, we NEED to get your father! We need to get everyone away from the village as quick and as far as we can!” Knight was still panicking, he knew he was shaking, and all that was really unusual for him. Both girls had never seen him like that.

But the image of Fire Spirit hurt and dead on the ground, with pinkish flames burning everything and everyone around, was starting to make its way into his head, making him panic more and more with every minute passing.

Princess stared at Knight, clearly shocked with everything. She could hear how desperate, how AFRAID Knight was…  
She had never seen him like that. 

Gulping, Princess slowly nodded. “-A-alright…” She whispered nervously. “-Dad is inside, reviewing some of the village documents. W-we should be able to talk with him no problem.” The girl turned, taking one of Knight wrist and starting to run back inside her home, she could see Pistachio following close behind, clearly wanting to hear what this whole thing was about as well. 

She HAD a lot of questions, but seeing her friend that terrified, so...Out of character…   
It definitely had her starting to get afraid as well. 

Knight just nodded, allowing himself to get dragged by the small girl inside her house. The tears were back at his face, and he was trying to do his best to clean them away with his free arm. All the way he could hear gasps and whispers whenever they passed someone, but that didn’t stop any of them. Princess continued to run towards her father office, Pistachio close behind them. 

Finally, with the hold on Knight’s wrist still strong, Princess was slamming the door to her father office open, making the old man jump in shock, dropping a lot of papers in the process.

“-Princess!” The loud voice of Chief was heard, while he began to pick up some of the papers around him. “-My child, just what do you think you are do--” He lifted his head, looking at the door.  
And the second his eyes landed on a familiar blond head, his words stopped immediately.   
“-...Knight…?!” The older man whispered, eyes open wide in shock, the papers on his hands were let go, falling once again in the ground.

Knight walked past Princess slowly, into the room stopping right in front of the other man desk. Swallowing an invisible lump on his throat, Knight just nodded.

The chief let out a gasp, hands shaking slightly. “-Knight… My boy…” He stepped out from behind his desk, walking towards the blond. “-How… How is it possible? How are you here?! Is- Is the fire god also here?!”

Knight couldn’t help the small whine that came out of his throat at the mention of the fire god. Shaking his head, Knight once again held onto his cape tightly, getting it closer to his body seeking some sort of comfort. With a shaking voice, he turned to look at the other, noticing Princess and Pistachio also walking into the room and closing the door behind them.   
"-N-no sir… He- He isn't. Not at the village, at least…” The blond bit his lips, sad look on his eyes while he stared at the ground.

Chief gulped, hand in his hair nervously. “-I… I don’t understand then… How- How are you here?! How are you back, my boy?!” The desperate tone on his voice while he walked closer to Knight was clear.

“-S-sir please, It’s-It’s a long story.” He gulped, gazing back at the older man. “-B-But that isn’t important now! W-we have a bigger threat coming out way, that’s why I’m here…!” 

“-A… Bigger threat…?” Chief stared at him, eyes still wide in shock. “-What do you mean? Did- Did you somehow escape and the fire god is coming after--”  
  


“NO!” Knight suddenly shouted, his own arms tightly wrapped around himself, he could feel the tears on his face again. “-P-please, stop assuming Fire Spirit did anything with me! I-I didn’t run! He brought me back, B-because he…” The blond let out a quiet sob, trying to hide his face on the cape. 

He knew it wasn’t their fault for assuming something like that, they didn’t knew Fire Spirit like he did.   
They didn’t knew the REAL Fire Spirit, that Knight had come to love and care about. They only had seen a fire god that attacked their village and demanded a sacrifice. 

But he couldn’t stand hearing them all thinking the incoming threat was Fire Spirit. Not when he was right now putting his own life at risk to protect him, to protect all of them. 

He could feel a hand gently holding his shoulder, looking up, he saw the concerned face of Chief.  
“-Knight...Please…” Chief voice was low and calm. “-Just sit down, tell us what’s going on.”

“-Yes!!” Princess loud crying voice was heard from behind. With tears on her eyes she walked next to Knight. “-P-please Knight, this isn’t like you! If you are this afraid, i-it must be serious! Just tell us!” 

Knight paused, trying to get a hold of his breathing, face still in his cape collar. He nodded quietly, allowing Chief to bring him to sit in a nearby chair. Once finally sitting down, the blond let out another shaky breath, arms still holding the cape tightly, he closed his eyes, thinking exactly how to tell them everything.

He had to tell them about the Red God, that was the important part. He couldn’t give much of the details, he didn’t have the time. 

And he doesn’t think he would be ready to tell them about the relationship that developed between him and Fire Spirit. Not… Not now. 

With a shaking voice, Knight opened his eyes, looking at the other three figures in the room for a minute, before taking a deep breath and finally talking.   
“-It’s… It’s a long story, honestly… A-and I’m afraid we don’t have time to know all the details now.” He bit his lip, worried expression on his face while taking a glance at Chief. 

Chief nodded quietly, his arms crossed while his daughter stood next to him, Pistachio next to the other girl. All three of them had a clearly nervous and afraid look on their faces. “-It’s alright my boy… Just- Just tell us what is that threat you are talking about.”

The blond nodded, letting out a shaken sigh before looking back at him. “-L-long story short… The village is in danger.” He gulped. “-The...The Great Red God is coming. And they are aiming to destroy everything and everyone here.” 

That got all three figures gasping in fear, Princess covering her mouth with her hands once more, while Chief clenched his fists tightly, walking closer to Knight.  
“-Are- Are you sure of it? Why… I don’t understand…” The old man gulped. “-K-Knight… I know you said there isn’t much time but… You must give me some more context! Why would the Red God attack us out of nowhere like this?” 

Knight frowned, he knew they deserved to know more but…  
He wasn’t sure how much he was ready to share.

Closing his eyes and taking another deep breath, Knight continued. “-To… Make it simple is…” He paused, expression falling. “-It’s because of me.” 

“-W-what?” Princess crying voice spoke, the girl slowly stepping closer to Knight as well. “-W-what do you mean?” The worried look on her face was clear, fidgeting with her hands, Princess was clearly trying to keep her tears under control and failing. 

The blond held back a sob. “-I…” He shut his eyes tightly, the hold on his cape never going away. “-I was supposed to be killed.” 

Another round of gasps, the pink haired girl clearly letting out a shocked sob. 

Gulping, Knight continued before any of them could ask more about it. “-I… That’s what Fire Spirit was supposed to do. He was supposed to kill me. But…” He let out a quiet whine. “-He couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to do it… And because of that, The Red God got mad.” Knight bit his lower lip, trying to clean his tears with one hand while the other kept the grasp on the cape strong. “-A-and so, they decided they would kill me, and the place I came from themselves, S-so, Fire Spirit brought me back… To warn everyone. T-To save my life…” The blond shut his eyes tightly, the tears falling down his cheeks. 

Apart from Knight and Princess quiet sobs, the room was in silence. Pistachio and Chief had petrified expressions on their faces, realization of Knight’s words finally sinking in.   
Finally, Pistachio was also moving close to Knight, a nervous expression on her face as she approached him.   
“-Where… Where is Fire Spirit then…?” She asked, voice barely a whisper.

Knight didn’t attempt to hold the tears back while he tried to answer her. He could feel his breath and heart getting faster. “-H-h-he… He’s going t-to try to g-give us time.” The blond sobbed, face turning away from the teal hair. “-We… W-we need to go, Please Chief!” Knight turned back to look at the older man, getting up from the chair he was sitting and walking closer to him, a pleading and desperate look on his face and voice. “-W-we need to e-evacuate! A-as fast as we can! I...I don’t know how much time Fire Spirit can--” 

Knight suddenly found himself not being able to talk anymore, full on sobbing by now, his hands were covering his eyes and mouth, trying to keep a hold of himself.  
In the end, he was hiding his face back in his cape collar, the tears and sobbing continuing. 

Princess had slowly made her way to his side, touching his shoulder gently, trying to offer him her support, despite the tears in her own face. 

Knight just continued to cry, the hold on his cape tight. 

Chief was nervously fidgeting with his hands, scared look on his face. Taking a deep breath, he gave a weak nod. “-A-Alright…” He said, voice low. “-I-I’ll warn everyone. We’ll be moving as quick a-as we can.” He walked to the door, opening, he called one of the nearby guards, who quickly walked towards Chief.  
“-G-get the whole village reunited in the village hall. I have an important announcement, and is absolutely necessary EVERYONE hears it, Alright?” 

The guard gave the man a quick nod, clearly nervous. “-H-how fast should we get it done s-sir?” They gulped, voice shaking.

Chief turned, starting to get back inside his office. “-As fast as humanly possible. Get the other guards on it as well if necessary.” 

A quiet “Yes sir!” Followed by running steps down the corridor was the last thing heard before Chief closed back his door. 

Letting out a shaken sigh, Chief leaned on his door for a minute, trying to calm himself down.

Meanwhile, Knight was trying really hard to do the same.  
But the idea the Red God was already there, at the mortals realm, and Fire Spirit was fighting them really didn’t help. 

His sobs had slowed down, but his breath was still coming out quick. His eyes were once again filled with tears, making everything around him a blurry mess.  
Knight couldn’t stop thinking how he was getting his tears all over Fire Spirit’s gift. All over the cape. 

The rough voice of Chief was what got the blond attention back.  
“-I… I got the guards to gather everyone.” He gulped, turning and walking towards Knight. “-It should be done in a few minutes or so. I’m sure everyone was already curious the moment they saw you walking in…” 

Knight bit his lips, nodding slightly, trying to clean his face.  
He suddenly felt someone touching his right shoulder. Turning, he found Princess, a sad smile on her face, while she offered him a handkerchief for him to clean himself.

Offering her a small sad smile of his own, Knight happily took the handkerchief from her, using it to clean his face the best he could.

“-I…” Chief voice once again brought Knight attention back. Making his way towards the blond, Chief continued to fidget with his hands, frowning with eyes distant, not looking at Knight’s face. “-I’m afraid you would need to be there as well… I’m… Not sure how much they will believe me without proof…” He finally gave Knight a sorrowful look, clearly not happy to have to put Knight in a spotlight like this, not when the blond was a mess, but he didn’t have much choice.

And Knight knew that. He knew even with him there, there would be people not believing him or the chief, there would be people that wouldn’t want to leave.  
Knight just managed to nod at the older man, one hand cleaning his face while the other continue to hold onto the cape. Princess was gently hugging Knight with one arm on his right side, while Pistachio had a comforting hand on his left shoulder. 

Chief let out a quiet sigh. “-Thank you, my boy.” He paused, before offering Knight a weak smile. “-It’s… Good to see you again.” 

The blond tried to give the other man a weak smile as well, but that fell really quick off his face.   
He couldn’t deduce if he was happy to be back at this point.

Turning back to the door, Chief began to make his way out, getting ready to talk with everyone.   
“-I… I’ll get out and make sure everyone is there before I begin. Princess, dear…” He turned to look at his daughter, who had raised her head to look at him at the mention of his name. “-Please see if you can get Knight a glass of water, clean his face a little better too… Before I need to have him out there, please…?” 

Princess sniffled, cleaning away her own tears, one arm still around Knight. “S-sure, of course dad.” She offered the man a weak smile.

Giving a smile of his own, Chief let out a sigh, before finally walking out the door. 

Seconds later, Knight could feel himself getting moved, towards what he guessed would be the kitchen. Both the girls around him continued to attempt to give the blond some sort of support.

But he doubted they would be able to do much, yet, he appreciated the gesture.

* * *

Before he realized, Knight was sitting at a chair on the kitchen table, a glass of water in his hands, while he took small sips of it every now and then, all while Princess sat in the chair next to him, Pistachio having gone out, following the chief and helping with gathering everyone at the same place for the announcement.

Princess continues to look at Knight, distressed look on her face while she gently caressed his shoulder, trying to help him calm down. 

Knight remained quiet, taking a sip of the water every now and then, his teary eyes distant, not focusing on anything. 

Finally, letting out a quiet sigh, Princess attempted to talk with the blond again. “-K-Knight…” She started, voice barely a whisper. “-Are...Are you a little calmer…?”

“-Y-yeah… I am...” He replied, voice rough and low from all the sobbing. Knight tried to offer Princess a reassuring smile, to assure her he was okay, but…

He wasn’t. He absolutely wasn’t. How could he be when Fire Spirit still was out there risking his life?!  
But Princess didn’t knew that, she didn’t know why this was making Knight so upset. 

And so, he felt his smile falling, and new tears making its way to his eyes, letting out another quiet sob, that had Princess widening her eyes, moving closer to him.

He couldn’t hold in anymore.  
He had to tell someone, he had to tell her.   
Knight knew she out of everyone deserved to know.

“-No...No. No I’m not Princess…!” Knight turned to the pink haired girl, voice shaking, before he started to sob again, resting his crying face in his arms, on the table. “-I’m so AFRAID Princess…” His voice was muffled between his arms, but the sound of his sobbing was clear. 

“-K-Knight!” Princess was right next to him, worry clear on her voice and face. “-P-please… Tell me how I can help you! T-tell me what’s going on.” She bit her lips, turning her eyes away from him for a second. “-What… What happened when you were gone…?” Her gaze was back on Knight, calmly whispering at him. 

And so, Knight told her. He told her everything. 

He told her where the fire god took him, he told her the figures he met at his place…  
He told her what he went through, how he got closer to the other beings in the castle…

He told her how he began to feel around Fire Spirit. How he had fallen in love with the real him.  
How Fire Spirit clearly loved him back and had brought him back here to save his life.

How Fire Spirit had kissed him, and how he was now sacrificing his own life to make sure he had a chance on living.

And most importantly, how he felt awful just allowing that to happen.

By the end of it, he was once again a crying mess. Princess herself had started to cry after hearing the story, hugging the blond tightly.  
It was Knight’s turn to cry on her shoulders. 

“-A-And I just… I feel c-completely USELESS Princess…!” He hugged her tightly. “-I-I trained my whole life to p-protect those I cared about, t-to assure everyone s-safety…” Knight let out a sob, hiding his face in the other hair. “-And now, the one I love is literally going to DIE! And I can’t d-do anything!!” He continued to sob, never letting go of Princess.

“-O-Oh Knight…” Princess just let her friend cry, gently stroking his hair while his sobs filled the room.   
She couldn’t deny the whole story had shocked her.

Princess always hoped her friend would find someone special for him, of course she did, her friend deserved the best!   
She never expected that he would find someone when he literally was taken away by them, whoever.

And yes, she had no idea how the destructive fire god that tormented her village was that special someone for Knight… But then again, he did said that wasn’t the real him, he told her he had got to know the REAL him, the real Fire Spirit.  
And Princess trusted her friend knew what he was doing. If he truly loved him, there was no way he had to be that bad of a person.

She was happy for him, which made the whole situation terrible for her as well.  
Princess can’t imagine finding the love of your life, just to have them be ripped away from you like that. She doesn’t know what she would do in Knight’s situation, she doesn’t really know what to say to cheer him up.

She doubt there would be anything to cheer him up. 

So, she just lets him cry, and offers him her support. Like he always supported her all those years.

“-Knight…” She whispered, gently pulling Knight away, putting her hands on his shoulder with a sad look on her face, she paused for a second, taking a deep breath, before giving the blond a determined look. “-L-look… I don’t know how but… Things will be alright.” Princess voice got serious. Not a hint of lies in her words.

“-P-Princess…?” Knight just stared at her, holding onto his cape tightly. 

“-You are the bravest, most amazing and intelligent person I know, Knight.” She tightened the hold on his shoulders slightly. “-If there is one person who could figure out a situation like this, this person is you!” Princess offered him a weak smile. “-You clearly love Fire Spirit with all your heart Knight, just as he clearly loves you. I can feel things will turn out alright, who are you, losing hope like that?” She let out a quiet chuckle. “-The Knight I know would never give up like this, he would fight for those he loved with all he had, no matter the obstacle in front of him!” Princess moved her hands, taking the hold of one of Knight’s hands on her own.   
“-The Knight I know, wouldn’t think twice before helping those he loved.” She finished, a determined look on her face, despite the small tears still in her eyes.

Knight just continued to stare at her, mouth agape.  
… She was right.

She was RIGHT!

He never gave up like this, he never left someone he loved behind, no matter what troubled lied ahead.   
He didn’t stand a chance against a God, no one did.

But Knight would NEVER let that stop him from trying.   
After all, he never liked how the Gods were seen as those untouchable divine beings, anyway. 

Offering the girl a small smile, Knight let out a low laugh, using his free hand to clean his face. “-...Thank you Princess…” He looked into her eyes, happy smile on his face. 

Princess just smiled back at him, offering him a nod, before pulling him into another hug.  
“-I believe in you Knight… Don’t start to lose trust on yourself now, alright?” She asked, voice low.

Knight just let out a quiet sigh, small smile on his face while he nodded slowly, head still on the small girl shoulder.

He wouldn’t lose trust on himself anymore.   
He was the village stronger warrior, even the Gods knew it, apparently. 

So he would be saving Fire Spirit, and finally telling that idiot how he felt about him as well.  
...Since he didn’t get the chance when the fire demigod himself confessed his feelings to him. 

  
  


Princess had once again given Knight a cup of glass, to which the blond wasn’t against. Quietly drinking his water, both just stayed in silence. The girl offering the blond her support, while he just tried to calm down.

It was soon that Pistachio stepped into the room, saying everyone had been gathered, and Chief was already talking with them, but he really could use Knight’s help now.

So, taking a deep breath, Knight was getting up, his face relatively cleaner, offering Pistachio a nod, before he began to walk outside, Princess following close behind. One of his hands was closed tightly on a fist.  
The other, holding the cape tightly, with part of his face hiding in the collar. 

Finally, Knight could see the agglomeration of people just outside the house, whispers and murmurs all around them. He paused on his tracks, closing his eyes for a minute.

“-Knight…? You sure you want to do this?” Princess quiet worried voice asked him, hand on his shoulder and a concerned look on her face.

Knight just took a deep breath, before opening his eyes and nodding.   
“-I promised him I would get everyone out of here, so that’s what i’ll do.” He said, determined tone on his voice, before walking out the house, towards the chief.

The gasps and murmurs got louder the second all eyes fell on him.

* * *

People were just shouting all around, demanding answers to a bunch of questions.

Knight stood there, quietly hiding his face on his cape, while Chief tried his best to get everyone to be quiet. 

So far it wasn’t working that well.

The shouts went from “How is he back?!” to “If we are in danger, is clearly because of him!” And honestly, Knight was growing REALLY tired of hearing all of it.

Any minute he wasted here, was another minute Fire Spirit would be fighting against Red to save all those people lives, and they were treating it like it was a joke.  
That really got Knight frustrated. If he could just shove everyone out of the village as far as he could, he definitely would be doing that.

“-Everyone, Please!” Chief was once again trying to calm everyone down. “-You must understand the bigger threat here, this meeting has NOTHING to do with Knight’s return!” He raised his hands, trying to make the others stop talking. “-He was sent back to give us a message! We NEED to evacuate the village, now!” 

“-How dare you suggest that?!” An old cranky voice shouted from the back. “-We lived here in harmony our whole lives! We always gave the Gods our respect, there is no way what this boy say is true!” He finished with a grunt, some other people around him shouting in agreement. 

“-Yes!” The voice of a young woman shouted this time. “-If there is danger coming our way, clearly that one brought it here! Clearly he managed to escape, and now is making up a story so we can leave our home before the Gods come for him! ” She pointed to Knight. “-If the Red God really is coming,I say we just give them what they want! Give the unfaithful to them and save our children!” More shouts of agreement. 

Knight just turned his head away, not looking at the people anymore, eyes distant.  
They had no idea what they were talking about.

And that could very well be their doom, and Knight would have failed to do the last request Fire Spirit gave to him.   
And that thought was hurting him more than anything those people were saying.

More shouts began to spread, voices overlapping one another, most agreeing with the idea to just give Knight as a sacrifice once again.

Chief and his guards were trying to keep everyone quiet, to talk louder than them, but were failing despite their best efforts.

Suddenly, Princess stepped away from Knight, walking towards her father’s side, face filled with anger.  
“-Will all of you JUST SHUT UP?!?!” The small girl shouted, so loud even a few birds from a nearby tree flew away, finally getting everyone to be quiet and stare at her in shock.

Knight also was staring at her, eyes wide in shock as well, while holding onto his cape.

“-Are you guys LISTENING TO YOURSELVES?!” Princess continued to shout, angry look on her face. “-You guys realize WHO you are talking about here?! This is Knight we are talking about!” She pointed at him. “-The one person in this village who NEVER hesitated to put himself in front of danger, who NEVER hesitated to put other needs above his own, who dedicated HIS WHOLE LIFE to protect YOUR SORRY FACES!!” The small girl face was starting to get red with all the shouting in anger she was doing.

Meanwhile, everyone, including Knight and Chief just continued to stare, most of their mouths agape.

“-You guys have NO IDEA what he went through! He didn’t hesitate to give HIMSELF up to a God when they came after me, he saved me AND everyone else!” She continued to glare at them. “-And now, once again, he is doing it! He is here, warning everyone of a danger like we never faced before, and you guys DARE to question if is true or not?! WHY would he lie about that?!” Princess stomped her foot angrily, scowl on her face, eyes never leaving the people.

There was silence, just quiet whispers between the people, while some were averting their eyes from the small girl, nervously fidgeting with their hands and arms.

“-It… Still doesn’t make sense though…” A male voice quietly spoke. “-Why would the Red God come after us? Why now? We didn’t do anything…” 

Princess let out a loud sigh, trying to calm herself a little. “-That isn’t important now. If you know the legends as much as you say you do, you DO know that The Red God IS known for destroying places. Is it really that strange they would be doing this with us?! Even if we didn’t do anything against them?” She asked, serious look on her face while looking among the people. 

There were more whispers. The people clearly loved their home and didn’t want to leave it, at least not without a proper explanation. 

Princess was about to open her mouth again, scowl on her face, but before she could, Knight had stepped next to her, and interrupted her.

“-I understand everyone is confused.” He paused, all eyes now on him. “-There is a lot of questions about this, that you guys desperately want the answers for…” Knight gazed down at his feet, holding the cape tightly. “-But please, I dedicated my life for this village and its people...I never thought twice before helping anyone.” He took a deep breath, gazing back at everyone, voice shaking slightly. “- I-I never asked for anything in return, I never WANTED anything. But…” Knight gulped. “-I’m begging you guys listen to me now, I’ll be happy to answer your questions once we are all safe but… For now, please. Just do what I ask you guys to, just this once… I- I only want to do what I always did, protect everyone in here…!” The blond finished, staring back at the mass of people in front of him, determined look on his face. 

Princess and Chief slowly walked by his side, offering him a nod and a smile, hands on his shoulder, while looking back at the people as well.

There was more silence and murmurs, some people frowning sadly, others with a skeptical look on their faces. 

When the same cranky old guy from before opened his mouth, a angry scowl on his face, that suddenly everyone heard something way louder than all the shouting until now.

Something that had everyone turning to have a terrified look on their faces.

The loud roaring and growling sounds, of what could only be a God in their beast form, followed by a loud explosion sound, coming from far, deep into the forest.  
There was also the clearly pinkish flames, appearing on the distant between the trees. 

That was clearly the Red God. They were here.

And that had everyone screaming, running around, realizing Knight was speaking the truth. Everyone began to run into their homes, trying to gather as much as they could, there were people crying, parents desperately running around with their children in their arms. 

As soon as all that was seen and heard, Chief immediately began to shout to his guards, ordering them to help everyone around, to gather necessities like food and water more than everything else, and then to help everyone move towards the village back gate, ready to evacuate. After shouting orders, Chief himself was running inside his house, clearly going to do the same. He shouted his daughter name, who quickly began to follow him, but before she walked inside her house, she looked back one last time. 

Staring at Knight, who wasn’t moving a muscle while staring at the direction the pink flames could have been seen.

  
  


Knight couldn’t move. He just kept staring, eyes wide in fear and mouth agape

They were here. The Red God was here.  
And if they were here, that meant Fire Spirit was going to try to stop them. 

That meant Fire Spirit could get himself killed.

Knight felt new tears on his eyes and his breathing getting faster again. 

He has no idea how long he kept staring, unable to move. Everything was moving around him though, a lot of people walking with bags and pouches with anything they could carry, trying to run as fast as they could towards the back of the village, while the guards tried to keep some sort of order. 

Knight suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, making him jump slightly, staring back, eyes still wide in fear and filled with tears, he saw the worried face of Princess, carrying her own set of necessities. 

“-K-Knight, w-we need to go.” She whispered, voice shaking while holding onto his shoulder tightly. “-W-we are all ready to go, dad and the guards are getting everyone to the back area, w-we should go as well…” Princess bit his lip, terrified look on her face while waiting for Knight. 

The blond just stared at her for a few seconds, before looking back at the direction he knew Red was.

...He didn’t know what to do.

Part of him wanted to just run towards there, to help Fire Spirit.  
Another part of him, was telling him to go with the other, make sure Princess and the people would stay safe in case they couldn’t get far and Red caught up with them.

He didn’t knew if he should listen to his heart or brain right now, and that just had him standing there. 

Knight kept breathing fast, holding onto his cape for dear life. His mind running blank, felling the girl attempt to slowly pull him along with her. Without much effort, Knight felt himself allowing her to take him away, slowly beginning to walk with her towards the back area.

It was another explosion that had him stopping on his tracks, quickly turning his head towards the source of the sound.

Making him open his eyes and let out a gasp in fear.  
For from the source of the sound, he could see pinkish and red flames, high among the trees…

And what was clearly a humanoid figure, completely covered with the red flames, being hurled away, their body completely limp, like a ragdoll. 

Knight doesn’t remember when was the last time he began to run this fast.

He could hear Princess shouting his name from behind him, but he didn’t dare to stop.   
He managed to pause when he found himself in front of his old home, finding his old sword there, just where he left it, quickly grabbing it, he continued to run.

He honestly had no idea where exactly all that commotion was coming from, but he knew Fire Spirit was there.  
He knew Fire Spirit was in danger.

And he just let his legs take him there, towards the one he loved.   
Towards a battle he had all the odds against him. 

But not hesitating for a second. He was going after Fire Spirit.  
He would either be saving him, or both would be dying, there was nothing else Knight would accept.

Knight never hesitated before, and he wouldn’t start now just because his opponent would be a God.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire Spirit attempts to hold Pitaya back with all he have.  
> Things aren't looking too good for him, whoever.
> 
> But suddenly, the last person the demigod wants to see appears to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fighting scenes still aren't my forte pfff  
> maybe i should have considered that when planning like, T H R E E fighting scenes in this fic lmao  
> but yeah uuh fighting scene. Things don't go so well sooo.. Here's your "Slightly violence" warning, I guess :'D
> 
> WELP, ANYWAY. Hope you guys enjoy it pff  
> I feel the chapter is slightly shorter than the past ones, but hey, seeing it's a intense fight chapter, I think it's fair pfff

Fire Spirit knew he didn’t stand a chance against Pitaya.

The difference of power between them has always been clear, they were the one who gave Fire Spirit his powers, after all. Pitaya also was a proper God, while Fire Spirit was a demigod. That meant naturally, Pitaya had way more power and energy than him.

But that didn’t mean anything for the fire demigod right now.

He knew he was waiting for what would be his doom, he knew the chances of him not returning home were extremely high.  
But he wasn’t backing up. 

He made a promise to himself to protect Knight and make sure he would be alright, so he would hold back Pitaya for as long as he could.

Fire Spirit tightened the hold on his staff, sorrowful expression on his face while he leaned on a nearby tree.  
He knew Pitaya could be appearing any time soon, he had to be ready.

Taking a glance towards the direction of Knight’s village, Fire Spirit really hoped the blond had managed to convince everyone to move, that he was alright. 

That he would be alright and live a long life.  
Fire Spirit let out a small sad smile, the memories of their farewell still fresh in the demigod’s mind, he couldn’t help but blush slightly. 

He did it. Fire Spirit told him the truth. The WHOLE truth.   
He told Knight his feelings, he KISSED Knight.

Fire Spirit remembers the feeling when his lips touched Knight’s. It was easily one of the most amazing feelings he ever experienced. 

It probably would also be the last happy feeling he experienced, and he honestly didn’t mind it. If he had to chose one last feeling to hold on to when meeting his death, he would have picked that feeling anyway. 

The demigod didn’t know how much time has gone by, too caught up on his own head and memories to realize time passing by. It was when he felt a sudden switch in the energy around him, that he was coming back to his senses.

He knew that energy.  
It was Pitaya.  
They were here. 

Gulping, Fire Spirit quickly turned his head with a nervous yet determined expression on his face, just in time to see the burst of pink flames that soon began to disperse and show the silhouette of the Red God themselves.   
The angry expression on their face could be seen from where Fire Spirit was standing. 

As the flames finally died around them, Pitaya stood there, weapon in hand and furious expression on their face, their teeth were bared on a angry snarl and their eyes were closed. As their eyes open, they took a quick glance around, before their eyes landed on Fire Spirit himself.

The angry scowl just deepened as they let out a growl, furiously glaring at the other direction. 

Pitaya straightened their back, claymore sword being held tight in their hands. For a moment, both the Red God and Fire Spirit just stared at each other, Pitaya with a furious expression, and Fire Spirit with a determined one.

Finally, Pitaya let out another growl, before opening their mouth and speaking, anger clear on their tone of voice as well.   
“-...Just WHAT do you think you are doing, boy?” They continue to glare at Fire Spirit, teeth still bared in a snarl. 

Fire Spirit continued to stare back at them, he could feel himself sweating with how nervous he was.  
But again, he wouldn’t be backing up.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a second, the demigod brought his staff close to himself, before opening his eyes as glaring back at the Red God.  
“-I could be asking you the same thing.” Fire Spirit gulped quietly, determined expression never leaving his face while he glared at the other. “-What are you doing here?” His voice was low, while the hold on his staff continued to tighten. 

Pitaya let out another growl. “-You know VERY WELL what I’m doing here.” Their tail flicked around angrily. “-I’m here to finish this mess once and for all. Now get out of my way before you regret it.” They picked up their sword, lifting it up towards Fire Spirit.

Fire Spirit didn’t look away, holding his staff in front of him as well. “-I am NOT moving.” He glared at Pitaya for a moment, the glare eased down, giving place to a sorrowful look instead. “-Pitaya, please… You don’t need to do this! If you EVER cared about me at all, we’ll just go back to the God’s realm. I’m never going to show my face around you or the others again, I’ll never ask for ANYTHING again, and we can all just move on.” He bit his lips, pleading expression on his eyes while looking at the other. 

The snarl on Pitaya’s face got bigger, flames starting to appear around their shoulders and arms while they held onto their sword tightly. “-If I ever cared? IF I EVER CARED?!” They shouted, the flames getting higher. “-I DEDICATED A GOOD PORTION OF MY LIFE TO YOU! I GAVE UP SO MANY THINGS, AND NOW, YOU DARE TO DISRESPECT ME LIKE THIS?!” Their flames began to make its way to their sword, glowing brightly. “-You are even stupider than I thought, if you think we can just leave this and act like it never happened!” They growled, raising their sword upwards.   
“-Do you REALIZE WHAT’S ON THE TABLE HERE?! GET. OUT. OF MY WAY!!”

Pitaya let out a loud growl, quickly bringing the sword down, making the flames on it be released on a powerful slash of flames, going straight at Fire Spirit’s direction. 

The demigod opened his eyes in shock, letting out a gasp before quickly jumping out of the slash way. He felt into the ground, letting out a pained hiss. Looking back to where he was standing, he saw the slash cutting down at least three trees behind him, including the one he was leaning on, small flames around the now destroyed tree bark.

Fire Spirit bit his lips, using his staff to help himself up, he looked back at Pitaya, the determined expression back on his face. “-I’m NOT moving, Red.” The demigod held onto his staff, attack position ready. “-I promised I would give Knight time, and that’s what I’m doing.” 

The Red God let out another growl, eyes twitching in anger. “-You know you have no chance against me.” They continue to glare, holding onto their claymore again. “-Are you seriously going to get yourself killed for what?! A stupid and worthless human?!” Pitaya shouted, lifting the sword once again. “-I GAVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE IN LIFE! I MADE YOU IMMORTAL, AND YOU ARE GOING TO THROW ALL THAT AWAY FOR A HUMAN?!” The flames around them grew higher, burning brightly, while Pitaya continued to glare at the demigod. 

Fire Spirit stared at Pitaya in silence, determined expression on his face. “-I know I don’t stand a chance against you.” He continued to glare, voice serious. “-I’m not here to defeat you, I’m here to give HIM enough time to escape.” The demigod bared his own fangs. “-And just so you know... If there is one thing Knight isn’t, is worthless and stupid. He is greater than you, or any of the other Gods I’ve seen.” Fire Spirit lifted his staff towards Pitaya. “-And I promised him I would hold you back until my last breath if I had to.” The demigod closed his mouth, eyes never leaving the other as he held his staff tightly, the stone on it beginning to glow as the demigod stood his ground, clearly showing signs he wouldn’t be moving. 

  
  


Pitaya lowered their head, averting their eyes from Fire Spirit for a minute while shaking with anger, still growling quietly.   
He wanted to give his life, the life Pitaya had gifted him, for nothing?! For a simple and puny human?!

Fine.

If Pitaya was the one to gift him that life…  
They would now be the one taking it away.

“-Fine.” The Red God said, voice low, before lifting their head to stare at Fire Spirit again, eyes glowing dangerously. “-If this is your final choice…” Their sword lift up with flames while they growled furiously “-I WILL THROW YOUR PITIFUL REMAINS ON THE ASHES OF THAT PUNY HUMAN DEAD BODY AND HIS STUPID VILLAGE!” Shouting, Pitaya brought down their sword, swinging it in front of themselves three times, letting out more slashes of flames towards the demigod direction. 

Preparing himself, Fire Spirit held onto his staff, waiting for the slashes to get closer, before finally jumping high into the air, the slashes missing him completely and destroying all the trees and vegetation behind him instead, letting out a loud crashing sound as the trees fell down.   
Still in the air, Fire Spirit held onto his staff with both hands, bringing it to his side, the stone on it shining brightly, before he let out a grunt, swinging it in front of him, releasing a huge fireball towards the other.

Pitaya let out another growl, lowering themselves, fire wings appearing behind them, waiting for the fireball to get closer before swinging they claymore and throwing the attack that was coming towards them to the side. The fire ball hitting more of the trees, making them fall down as well, small red flames starting to burn them, smoke clouds beginning to raise.  
Right after the explosion, the red God flapped their wings, quickly jumping in the air towards Fire Spirit direction, holding onto their sword with both hands, they quickly swung it at the other direction before he had much time to react. 

Fire Spirit was fast to block their attack with his staff, the contact of the weapons letting out a huge crashing sound, while the demigod struggled to push the other away and not let them hit him with their claymore, that continued to burn with their pink flames. 

But the difference in strength was clear.

And with one move, Pitaya was the one pushing Fire Spirit off the air, making the demigod crash into the ground, the impact lifting up a cloud of dust while Fire Spirit let out a pained gasp as his back hit the hard ground.

Grunting, Fire Spirit slowly opened his eyes, letting out a gasp when he noticed the Red God releasing another slash of flames from their claymore on his direction. Quickly turning over, the demigod managed to jump off the hole he had been throw at on the last second, the other attack missing him barely, as he let out another pained grunt for throwing himself on the ground again to escape the hit.  
Panting quietly, Fire Spirit was quickly on his feet again, looking up at Pitaya’s angry face. As the red god prepared to rain down another wave of attacks on him, the demigod stood his ground, holding onto his staff tightly, as more and more slashes of flames came crashing down on him, Fire Spirit slammed the ground with his staff, making a powerful wall of flames appear, protecting him from all the hits.

But as the wall of flames came down, Fire Spirit let out a shocked gasp, as he was face to face with Pitaya’s angry scowl, who was diving down towards him, using the fact the wall had blocked the demigod vision for their advantage, their weapon was raised in his direction while they let out a growl and swung towards Fire Spirit left side. 

Without much time to react, Fire Spirit could only attempt to block the hit with his staff, and while he succeeded and didn’t receive any major cuts from the claymore’s blade, the impact still send him flying across the ground again, a trail of dirt and a cloud of dust raising as he could feel his back and arms being scratched from the small pebbles and rocks on the rough ground. 

Getting up with some struggle, using his staff to help himself up, Fire Spirit continued to pant slightly, feeling the small scratches on his arms and back sting, making the demigod let out a hiss in pain. 

Meanwhile, Pitaya was once again on solid ground, the furious expression not having left their face. Growling, fangs bared, they glared back at Fire Spirit, holding their weapon tightly, as they slowly began to stomp towards the other.  
“-For CENTURIES you begged me…” They began to speak, voice low. “-You bugged me non-stop to prove yourself. And when I finally manage to get you a chance, you do this.” They growled, continuing to walk. “-Do you KNOW what the others say about you?! The things they call you?! They call you a joke, a waste of immortal space...” Pitaya stopped, a few meters in front of Fire Spirit, glaring intensely at him while flames continued to burn around them. “-And I defended you. I continued to say you were just young, that you would grow out of it. You would prove your worth.” Another growl. “-And now you FINALLY have the chance to show them I wasn’t wrong, the chance to show them you ARE worthy of being a immortal…” The red God raised their weapon. “-And you are throwing it all away for a single human. YOU ARE THROWING ALL THE WORK I DID, ALL THAT I DID FOR YOU, FOR. A. HUMAN!!” Pitaya began to swing their claymore again, throwing more fire slashes at the demigod non-stop.

Fire Spirit hissed in pain, trying his best to use his staff to block the attacks, yet, he could feel his arms and hands getting hurt with cuts and even slightly burned from the attacks.

Fire Spirit was fireproof, but Pitaya’s flames were a whole different level of power and heat. 

He could feel his knees getting weak as the force of the impact from the hits was slowly pushing him backwards.   
But he couldn’t back down, not yet.

Grunting, Fire Spirit focused his energy, his staff glowing brightly, as he pushed one last slash away, before swinging his staff, releasing his own wave of flames towards Pitaya with a groan. 

The wave didn’t really hit Pitaya that bad, just enough to have the red god hissing in annoyance, taking a step back and shaking their head, making them lose their attention on Fire Spirit for a second, which gave the demigod enough time to counterattack.

Not wasting time, Fire Spirit held onto his staff tightly, jumping towards Pitaya direction, with all the strength he could manage.  
Quickly noticing the other moving, Pitaya kept their balance, own weapon draw and ready to stop Fire Spirit attack. When the demigod got closer, the red god quickly stepped to the side, lifting their sword and getting ready to swing down.

They were caught by surprise when instead of going for the hit, Fire Spirit just bent down, sliding onto the rough ground on his knees next to Pitaya, making them miss their own hit completely. Letting out a growl in annoyance, The Red God attempted to turn to their side to get another hit in.

But before they could, they felt Fire Spirit grabbing a hold onto their hair, and pulling them down onto the ground with all the strength he could manage, making Pitaya let out a loud growl in pain as they were pulled onto the ground. 

Falling on their back, they let out hiss in pain, the impact sending their claymore flying, making it disappear. Growling angrily, Pitaya quickly jumped off the ground, stretching their arm and summoning their weapon on their hand again, they turned back where they expected to find Fire Spirit.

Being once again caught by surprise, widening their eyes in shock when they noticed the demigod was high in the sky, aiming a wave of fire attacks down onto them. 

Without wasting his time, Fire Spirit was quickly swinging his staff down, making a wave of fire attacks rain down on the Red God. His arms still stung, just like his knees did now from the move he just pulled, but he didn’t let that stop him as he continued to rain down the attacks. Letting out a small hiss in pain, frowning slightly, the demigod could see the attacks were hitting, making a cloud of dust and smoke appear all around Pitaya.

Pitaya meanwhile, continued to growl and hiss in anger, the attacks hitting them while they continued to try their best at blocking most of them, but still being hit in various places such as their face and arms, they could see their vision starting to get blocked by the dust and smoke rising from the attacks. 

Finally, after a good minute or two of bombarding the red god with attacks, Fire Spirit stopped, panting tiredly, he let down his staff, slowly descending onto the ground and using the staff to help support himself when his feet touched the ground.   
The huge cloud of dust and smoke was still there, the demigod staring at it intensely, he knew that wouldn’t be enough to defeat Pitaya, but again, he just wanted to waste their time if anything. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes for a second, focusing on his breathing, he could still feel his injures stung. Seeing they were made by a God, that meant the only way he could properly heal was if he were to return to the Gods realm.

And that’s something he wasn’t expecting to do any time soon. 

Letting out another sigh, Fire Spirit continued to stare at the ground, holding onto his staff to keep his balance, he found his mind going towards Knight once again. The worry and anxiety of not knowing if the blond was successful on getting everyone and himself to safety really wasn’t helping him focus just on the battle. 

If he was to do all this, and not be able to save Knight in the end, he would never forgive himself.

Letting out a shaky breath, the demigod tightened his hold on his staff, biting his lower lip nervously, worry making its way on his face.

It was a sudden bright pink light coming from the cloud of smoke and dust that had him widening his eyes and bringing his attention back forward.   
Gasping, Fire Spirit only had time to cover his face with his arms and close his eyes, before there was a explosion of pink flames in front of him, reaching high into the sky, above the surrounding trees. Blinding him for a second, the heat waves coming from the burst of flames was enough to almost make him lose his balance again, making him be pushed backwards slightly while he let out a pained hiss.

A loud roar that echoed through the forest had him opening his eyes in fear, making him stare forward again. 

From the pink flames, a huge form began to step out, sharp fangs and talons making themselves know between the flames, bright red and green scales, huge tail swinging around angrily, a mane of white with black streaks, and a constant low growl escaping from the bared fangs, alongside more pink flames.   
Bright, glowing angry red eyes suddenly turned to stare right at Fire Spirit. 

The demigod didn’t even try to hide the fear in his face, he could feel himself shaking slightly while holding onto his staff.

Pitaya had shaped into their beast form. 

If Fire Spirit didn’t have a chance before, now he could die in the blink of an eye. 

Stepping forward, the huge beast continued to growl, wings flapping away any remains of the smoke and dust, as they continued to stare down at Fire Spirit, scowl clear on their face.   
“-Last chance, Fire Spirit.” Pitaya spoke, voice low and dangerous. “-Get out of my way. There is no way a human is worth dying for.” They bared their fangs, growl clear on the back of their throat as their tails flicked angrily. 

Fire Spirit continued to stare at them, he could still feel his hands shaking while holding onto his staff. Closing his eyes, he took a shaky deep breath, lowering his head for a minute. 

He couldn’t give up.  
He WOULDN’T give up.  
He knew he would be dying, but Pitaya was wrong.

Knight was definitely worth all of it. 

Biting his lip, Fire Spirit turned his head back up, glaring at the giant beast red eyes with a determined look on his face while his own fangs were bared.   
“-I. Am not. Moving.” Fire Spirit growled, holding onto his staff tightly, securing his balance on the ground, the staff glowing brightly as the flames in his hair flicked around. 

Pitaya just growled at him, their hair puffing up in anger while the scowl on their face just grew larger.   
“-Then you really are more stupid than I gave you credit for.” They hissed, taking a deep breath before blowing a burst of pink flames towards the demigod. 

Fire Spirit quickly rolled out of the way, letting out another hiss when hitting the ground, he quickly got back up. He couldn’t waste any time now that Pitaya was in their beast form. The flames burned everything on their way, leaving behind ashes and burned wood on what once was a bunch of trees. 

Fire Spirit wasn’t quick enough to avoid the tail coming towards his direction at full force, whoever. 

Widening his eyes in terror, the demigod let out a pained gasp as the breath was taken from him with the huge tail hitting him right in his stomach, throwing him back first into one of the remaining trees around, making him let out another pained gasp. 

His staff had fled from his hands the second his back hit the hard bark. Eyes wide and gasping in pain, Fire Spirit slowly slided to the ground, falling onto his knees and arms. Coughing in pain, the demigod held onto his stomach, he could feel the taste of blood on his mouth.

The cracking sound he was sure he heard when he was hit, probably wasn’t a good sign either. 

Trying to get a hold of his breathing, he continued to cough, noticing small specks of blood on the ground in front of him. He let out a quiet whine in pain, trying with all his strength to get up with the arm not holding his stomach and chest area, using the very tree he crashed against as extra support, finally managing to do so after a lot of struggle, the demigod continued to pant tiredly, hissing in pain with every small movement.

Yeah, he definitely had a rib broken or two. 

Slowly, he turned his head back at Pitaya, pained expression on his face, shaking while trying to keep his balance. 

The angry red eyes of Pitaya continued to glare at him, smoke coming out of their mouth through the bared fangs.   
“-You’re going to die.” They growled, voice low. “-You realize that, don’t you?! I gave you a new life, made you someone…” They slowly began to walk towards the other. “-And now, after all I did for you, you are throwing it away. For a mortal, a stupid human.” Pitaya growled again, tail flicking around in anger. 

Fire Spirit let out another cough, still leaning onto the tree for support, he glared back at Pitaya.  
“-No… I’m not.” He spoke, voice low and shaky. The demigod let out another cough before continuing, glare never leaving the other. “-I’m throwing it away for the most amazing being I’ve ever met.” Another cough. “-I’m doing this, for the most amazing and thoughtful human being I’ve ever met.” He slowly let go of the tree, taking a shaky step towards Pitaya direction, one hand still around his stomach. “-I’m doing this, for the one being that didn’t judge me for what I did, even after learning about my past.” Another shaky step, followed by another cough. “-I’ m doing this for the one I had no problem talking with, who listened to me when I needed someone to talk to.” Another step. Fire Spirit paused, the shadow of Pitaya in their beast form looming over him, as he took a deep breath, slowly raising his head to look at the Red God, determined look on his face.   
Staring right into their eyes, Fire Spirit bared his teeth. “-I’m doing this, for the human I fell in love with.” 

Pitaya widened their eyes, snarling, shaking in anger, they just continued to growl, as pink flames continued to burn around the two immortal beings.   
“-You… Ungrateful BRAT!” They shouted, tail hitting the ground angrily, almost making Fire Spirit lose his balance. “-I’LL KILL YOU, AND THAT STUPID HUMAN WILL BE NEXT, ALONGSIDE HIS WHOLE WORTHLESS VILLAGE! NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR ME TO FIND THEM ALL!!” They opened their wings, letting out a roar. “-You would have died, FOR NOTHING!”   
The red god finished, letting out another angry growl, before swinging a huge paw towards Fire Spirit direction at full speed.

Fire Spirit wouldn’t have been able to avoid that hit even if he tried.

He could only open his eyes in fear, and let out a loud pained cry as the claws made contact with the right side of his body, setting him flying upwards, body limp.   
And just as fast as he was sent flying, he began to fall back onto the ground, not having the strength to float safely. 

Hitting the ground with full force, the demigod let out a pained breath, followed by a dry cough. 

The taste of blood on his mouth got stronger, and there was definitely something wet coming down from the corner of his lips and head as well. 

His whole right side hurt as well now, he couldn’t move his right arm properly, no doubt it was broken.  
Still, shaking, the demigod tried to get up, struggling, he managed to use his good arm and get himself on his knees, arms and legs shaking while trying his best to stay up.

The ground shaking near him once again, had him losing the little balance he had, making he fall on his face, and on top of his broken arm, making him let out a cry in pain. 

Coughing and breathing harshly, Fire Spirit tried to take a deep breath, as he once again attempted to get himself off the ground onto a sitting position. Once sitting, he slowly gazed upwards, seeing once again Pitaya’s furious face and shadow looming over him. 

Their tail continued to flick with their fury, wrath clear on their glaring face and growl still on their throat.   
“-I gave you EVERYTHING!” Pitaya bared their fangs, talking between their growls. “-I cared about you for CENTURIES! Took you under my wings, helped and raised you in your new life, and you do THIS TO ME?!” They shouted, flames flicking from their mouth. 

Fire Spirit closed his eyes, grunting in pain, everything hurts.  
But right now he could feel the anger building up inside of him as well.  
“-S-Stop…” He let out a cough, voice dry. “-Stop… STOP PRETENDING TO CARE ABOUT ME!” He shouted, glaring back at the Red God.

Pitaya opened their eyes in shock, not expecting Fire Spirit to raise his voice like that, they didn’t get a chance to speak before the demigod continued. 

“-Y-you never TRULY cared about me.” He slowly attempted once again to get up using his good arm. “-If you REALLY cared, Y-you wouldn’t be here, about to kill me…!” He coughed up some more blood, slowly getting back on his feet. “-All you ever cared about, was yourself! How the others always saw you.” Fire Spirit glared at Pitaya, tears from anger and pain starting to make their way to his face. “-From the moment you brought me into the Gods realm, the moment I became immortal, you always had this… Resentment towards me!” He let out another dry cough, trying his best to not lose his balance now that he was up again.   
“-You ALWAYS cared way more about how the others viewed you. I always tried to do as you told me, I always tried to be the best I could…” Fire Spirit lowered his head, looking away from the other, before frowning in anger. “-But I realized very quickly it didn’t matter.” He turned his gaze back at Pitaya, angry look still in his face as he held himself down the best he could. “-I was trying to get your attention and approval, but I never would be able to. Because YOU kept trying to get the approval of ALL THE OTHER FOUR COLORED GODS!!” Fire Spirit shouted, letting out another wave of coughs at the end. 

Pitaya continued to stare down at him, eyes open in shock.   
They suddenly couldn’t find their words.

Fire Spirit took a deep breaths, throat dry. “-You never TRULY cared about me…” He whispered, voice shaking. “-If you really believe you did, that just means you have NO IDEA how to TRULY care about someone special to you.” The demigod glared back at Pitaya, using his hand to wipe some of the blood from his mouth. “-And for a long time, I honestly didn’t know how to truly care about someone either…” He continued, voice low. “-But then I met Angel and Devil. I met Knight. And slowly, I began to realize what TRULY meant to sacrifice yourself for someone you care deeply about.” His glare intensified, never leaving Pitaya’s eyes. “-I’m here, willing to die, KNOWING I’ll die, to make sure Knight will be safe. To make sure the one I love and TRULY care about has a chance to be happy. You?” Fire Spirit gulped, before letting out another cough. “-You are here to kill me, to kill the one I care about, just because you are afraid of what the others think of you. Because you only TRULY care about the image they have of you.” 

The demigod closed his eyes, letting out another coughing fit. “-If you really cared about me as you say, you would listen to me for once instead of them...” Fire Spirit finished, voice barely a whisper.

He could feel that talking was becoming quite difficult between having broken ribs and coughing up blood. 

The red god continued to stare at Fire Spirit, mouth agape and eyes wide.   
Before letting out a low growl, body shaking slightly. 

Fire Spirit didn’t know what he was saying.  
OF COURSE THEY CARE! IS JUST--

...Is just...

…

They couldn’t find a good reason.  
They heard what Fire Spirit said loud and clear but--

Have… Have they been doing this wrong? Fire Spirit was the first being they truly cared about, they had no idea what to do…  
They wanted Fire Spirit to take thing serious, so he could show the others he was worth it.

So he could show the others they didn’t make a mistake.

...Did… Did they really cared more about the image others had of them? But they were doing this to protect him in the end! They knew the others would come for him if he didn’t change.

...But right now, Pitaya was the one trying to kill him. What sense did it make? Killing someone because you are afraid others would do it... 

Pitaya snarled, letting out a loud growl, small angry and frustrated tears on their own eyes. They stare down at Fire Spirit, anger and frustration controlling their own thoughts, as they once again raised their claws, ready to strike Fire Spirit one last time. 

Fire Spirit could see the claws coming towards him, and suddenly it was like everything went in slow motion. 

He knew it was his end.  
He would die here.

The demigod closed his eyes, a small tear going down his cheek. 

He hoped Angel and Devil could ever forgive him, he hoped the two small spirits would find someone else to take care of them.   
They would be able to feel Fire Spirit’s presence vanishing the second he died, they would know. Fire Spirit never wanted to hurt them, so he really hope they can eventually forgive him. 

He hoped Knight was safe. That he was meters and meters away now, alongside his village. Hopefully going to live a good life. 

A small smile made its way to his face when thinking about the blond. 

He really had been one of the best things to happen in Fire Spirit life.  
And he was happy to die protecting him. 

The shadow of the claw towards his direction got larger and larger.

Fire Spirit kept his eyes closed, small smile on his face as he focused on all the memories he had with Knight in their time together. The kiss they shared…  
He wanted to die with happy thoughts in mind. With the image of blond hair and beautiful blue eyes in his head.

He then waited for the strike to come, for his world to get dark.

Fire Spirit was sure he could feel the impact coming.

  
  


And then, suddenly, someone was tackling him, getting him away from it.

Fire Spirit let out another pained gasp, not only from surprise but from the hold on his broken ribs. He could hear Pitaya’s paw hitting the ground with a loud thump, a cloud of dust raising, before the demigod was once again hitting the ground with his back, not as roughly as last time, whoever.

Coughing, Fire Spirit slowly blinked his eyes, grunting in pain and confusion. He took a look forwards, seeing the Red God surely had stepped into the ground, right where he was seconds ago, now a few meters away from where the demigod was standing. 

Frowning in confusion, Fire Spirit continue to stare forward, not noticing the arms tightly around him and the form on top of him.

It was quiet cries and panting that finally had the demigod realizing he wasn’t alone.

Eyes wide, Fire Spirit stared down, and couldn’t help to let out another shocked gasp.

As hugging him tightly, just having saved him from certain death, was a head full of fluffy blond hair, wearing a familiar set of red clothes and a blue cape.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knight arrives, and Pitaya challenges him to fight for his and Fire Spirit life.
> 
> And without any other choice, he accepts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY, WE ARE ALMOST AT THE END! HAVEN'T THAT BEING A JOURNEY?!?!  
> finally. the last fighting scene i'll need to write for this fic aklajkjd hope you guys enjoy it! c:
> 
> Oh, and Also! I know I said Pitaya would be the last design I would be sharing but uUUUH...  
> I kinda went ahead and did my designs for the other four colored Gods, AKA. Ananas/Gold, Blue, Ivory and Violet pfff So yeah! If you want to check it out, just like always, just copy + paste the link! 
> 
> https://galaxyacerodoesart.tumblr.com/post/621417254078349312/yall-can-have-the-designs-of-ananasgold-blue

Silence.

No sound other than quiet cries, panting and the cackling of fires around.

Clouds of dust still in the air for the impact of a huge paw on the ground.

A paw that almost crushed Fire Spirit to his death. 

Knight was shaking so much as he held onto the demigod for dear life.  
He didn’t knew if he would make it. One more second and he wouldn’t have…

One more second and he would have arrived just in time to see the one he loved dying.

The tears in his eyes continued to fall, his breathing was raspy, he could feel Fire Spirit slowly moving on his arms, looking around.

Knight didn’t want to let go. He was terrified to do so. 

Memories of what he was seeing just seconds ago continue to play in his head. He heard the roars, saw the fire and the limp form of Fire Spirit flying in the air all the way from his old village, and he just ran. Old sword in hand, he kept running, his legs pushing their limits as he kept running through the forest.  
The tears were blurring his vision, and small sticks and leaves kept hitting him in the face and arms, but he didn’t stop for a second. He continued to run, until the heat of flames got higher and higher, until he could see destroyed trees all around him.

Until he could see the terrifying, giant form of a beast. 

He finally stopped, breathing fast while holding his sword tightly. He could hear Fire Spirit voice shouting words at the Red God, he could see Fire Spirit form in the ground in front of them, barely holding himself up, while the God shadow loomed over him.

Then he saw the furious look in the Red God face, and as if he could tell what was about to happen, Knight body was once again running, moving on his own as more tears continued to fall. 

He could see the beast paw coming towards Fire Spirit direction. The demigod just standing there, not having the strength to move.

All Knight could feel was panic. As his legs continued to run, faster than he ever did. 

Knight just jumped at Fire Spirit direction, he didn’t hesitate, even with the huge claws coming closer and closer.   
He didn’t knew if he would make it.

He was terrified.

And then he felt himself grabbing something, jumping away from the blow with another form in his arms.  
Both him and Fire Spirit jumping away from the blow. The sword that was on his hand flying a few meters in front of them and hitting the ground. 

He heard the loud thump behind him, striking the ground at full force.

Being hit by that would mean certain death, for both him and the demigod.

But he got here on time. He was alive. And Fire Spirit was in his arms.  
Still breathing, still moving.

Knight didn’t want to let go of him.   
The images of what could have happened if he was a second late playing in his head, making the blond shake and cry even more as he held his arms around the demigod mid area, his head resting on his chest as he let out quiet hiccups and sobs. 

It was a shaking whisper that brought him back.

“-K-Knight…?!” Fire Spirit weak voice spoke, one of his hands shakingly going around Knight’s shoulders and resting on his back. 

The blond quickly shout his head up, wide blue eyes staring right at Fire Spirit face.  
Knight let out a quiet sob, frowning slightly as he hid his face in the other chest again, gaining a small hiss from the demigod.   
“-Y-You…” Knight whispered, trying to talk between the tears. “-You IDIOT!!” He suddenly shouted, letting out another sob as his arms tightened around Fire Spirit.  
“-H-how dare you just-- Tell me all those things a-and then just fly a-away like that?!” He raised his head again, a angry and hurt look on his face as he stared at the demigod. “-H-How dare you just… Fly off and not let me tell you h-how I feel as well…” Knight voice was back as a whisper, forehead resting on the demigod chest as the tears continue to fall and his hands held tightly around Fire Spirit clothes. 

Knight continued to cry on Fire Spirit chest, as the demigod continued to stare at him, eyes wide.  
The tears were soon falling off his own eyes as well. 

“-K-Knight…” Fire Spirit spoke, voice low as he slowly caressed the blond’s hair. “-Wha...What do you me--” 

It was his turn to have his words caught up, as Knight was now the one suddenly moving and connecting their lips together. 

This kiss was definitely messier than the first, the position wasn’t the best, neither was the moment, and Knight was still shaking from the adrenaline and fear as the tears continued to fall down his cheeks.  
But Knight didn’t care, he just needed to feel the other right now. To assure himself it was real, that he was there. 

Alive. 

Fire Spirit only had the time to open his eyes wide in shock.  
His whole body hurt, the tight hold Knight had on him wasn’t really helping.   
And yet, he didn’t think twice before kissing the blond back, awkward as it was. 

After all, he thought he never would feel that again. 

  
  


The kiss was short, Knight breaking it after a few seconds, as he continued to hiccup and sob quietly, forehead resting on the demigod shoulder. “-I love you too, Fire Spirit…” The blond whispered, loud enough just for Fire Spirit to hear, as he continued to hug him tightly.

Fire Spirit could only continue to stare, eyes wide and blushing slightly, before he finally let out a quiet happy chuckle, trying his best to hug the other as well with his good arm.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for how much his body continued to hurt, he would have been sure he was already dead and this all was a lucid happy dream in his afterlife.   
But that wasn’t the case. It was real.

Knight loved him, he really did.

The demigod then opened his eyes in fear again, realization of what exactly was going on hitting him hard. Knight was here, right next to him.

And so was Pitaya. 

Gulping, Fire Spirit moved, making Knight look at him, letting out a hiss of pain when the blond held onto his side a little to tight. “-Knight…” He stared into the other blue eyes, cleaning away some of his tears with his thumb. “-I-I love you too, S-so much. B-But--!” He paused, hand holding onto Knight’s cheek. “-W-what are you doing here?! I-I told you to run! I can’t have you get hurt Knight, I can’t!” His voice was shaking, a pleading gaze alternating between looking at the blond and behind him, trying to catch signs of the giant beast still lurking behind them.

Knight sniffled, trying to clean his face with one hand while the other held the hand of the demigod that was on his face. The blond then stared at the other, frustrated look on his eyes. “-That’s exactly why I’m here, you idiot!” He rested both of his hands on Fire Spirit cheeks, making the demigod focus entirely on him. “-I can’t stand by and let the one I love be killed! J-just like you can’t do it!” He paused. “-I t-trained my whole life to protect, Fire Spirit… Protect those in need, protect those I care about…” Knight slowly caressed Fire Spirit face. “-And I never cared about anyone like I care about you… I CAN’T just run and let you get yourself killed for me, Fire Spirit!” 

Fire Spirit continued to stare at him, he was about to open his mouth and say something.

But the loud stomping sound behind them had him closing his mouth, a protective hand quickly holding onto Knight. 

Pitaya stood there, growling while their teeth were bared in a snarl and their tail waved angrily, having witnessed the whole scene happening in front of them. 

They were still shaking slightly, realization of what they almost did also hitting them. 

But for now, they kept growling, glaring at the human furiously.   
“ **-You…** ” They opened their mouth, voice low and dangerously. “-You have quite the nerve showing your face to me, human…” They hissed, stepping closer to the two forms in the ground.

Knight, who immediately turned his head when hearing the Red God approaching, just stared at Pitaya, eyes wide in fear. 

“-Step away, pest.” Pitaya growled. “-I’ll finish BOTH of you in no time, but I’ll deal with that one first.” Their glare turned to Fire Spirit, who tightened the hold on Knight’s back. 

Knight then shut his eyes tightly, letting out a shaky sigh, he opened his eyes, a determined look on his face as he slowly got up, away from Fire Spirit, who as much as he tried, didn’t have the strength to hold the blond in place.   
Knight stepped back, picked up his sword that had flung from his hand and stomped back in front of the demigod, the serious determined face never leaving his face as he glared at the Red God.

“-I’m not moving.” He held his sword tightly in his hands, stance ready to protect. “-You will NOT hurt Fire Spirit anymore, not while i’m here!” He could feel himself sweating and the panic in the back of his mind and his hands shaking slightly, yet the determined expression never left his face.

Knight had no chance against a God like Pitaya. He knew that.  
But he would NOT be letting Fire Spirit get hurt anymore, not while he was there. 

Pitaya just stared at him, frowning in confusion and anger. Did that guy had any idea just WHO he was going against?!  
Surely he wasn’t as dumb as to think he stood a chance against them, right?! They were a God! He was just a puny human! 

The Red God let out another low growl as their tail flicked angrily, small puffs of smoke coming out between their bared fangs. 

“-You stand no chance against me.” They glared back at Knight. “-Fire Spirit himself didn’t, and he at least was a demigod. You will be dead in a matter of SECONDS!” Pitaya shouted, tail hitting the ground with a loud thump as small flames came out of their mouth. “-You BOTH will die for NOTHING!” 

Knight flinched, losing his balance for a second before glaring back at the God. “-I know that.” The hold on his sword tightened. “-But I’m not backing up.” He kept his ground, eyes never leaving the God’s. “-I’m not standing by and letting the one I love be hurt anymore. If he dies fighting, so will I!” Knight shouted, angry and determined look on his face while he stood in front of Fire Spirit. 

Pitaya just stared at him, baffled.   
They had dealt with mortals attempting to fight them in the past. Seeking power, recognition, any other form of personal gain.   
But this wasn’t the case now. Knight wasn’t fighting for himself.

He was fighting to protect someone else. Even if it would give him no personal gain, and he most likely would die, he wasn’t hesitating to fight them. 

...Fire Spirit words about truly caring about someone were looping in their mind right now.

They let out a quiet hum, glaring at the blond intensely. They could see Fire Spirit worried expression as he kept staring at the human, clearly horrified he was even there to begin with, and now was challenging Pitaya as well. 

Pitaya could see the spark in Knight’s eye. The determination, the perseverance…  
He wasn’t going to back up. 

And the Red God couldn’t deny, that was quite impressive.

Frowning, their glare while looking at the human intensified, Knight staring back at them as well while the hold on his sword kept tightening. 

Finally, Pitaya let out a sigh, followed by a low sinister chuckle, as they stared back at Knight a grin in their face.   
“-You really are something else, aren’t you?” They let out another chuckle.

Knight frowned in confusion, still keeping his position. 

“-Tell you what…” Pitaya started, gaze fixated on Knight’s. “-How about I offer you… A deal of sorts?” 

Both Fire Spirit and Knight eyes widen in surprise, the demigod letting out a quiet whine and the human a nervous gulp. 

Fire Spirit had no idea where Pitaya was going, but his guts were screaming it was bad news. 

Knight meanwhile, could feel the same. He knew this deal wouldn’t be something like the deal the God had offered Fire Spirit ages ago.

But he promised he wouldn’t back up, and he intended to keep that promise.

Gulping, Knight stared back at the Red God, sweating nervously. “-W-what… What kind of deal?” The determined expression was still in his face, alongside the slightly scared one. 

Pitaya let out a grunt, grin growing in their face. “-We’ll fight.” They paused, looking at the shocked terrified faces of both human and demigod. “-If you win, I’ll let you, Fire Spirit AND even your whole village go. In fact, your whole village will be under my protection, meaning no other God would be able to attack it in the future.” Another pause, they moved their head down, closer to Knight, malicious grin on their face. “-BUT, If you lose… Well…” Pitaya let out a low chuckle. “-I’m sure you can figure out what’s going to happen to all of you.” 

Knight and Fire Spirit just kept staring at the Red God, terrified.

Fire Spirit specially, could feel himself shaking.  
That was crazy. It was a death wish! 

The demigod turned to look at Knight.   
Seeing the determined expression on his face, he knew what he would do before he even said anything. And that had him even more terrified.  
“-K-Knight…” Fire Spirit spoke, voice low but enough to get the blond attention.

Knight sure enough turned to look back at him, quickly moving to his side and kneeling on the ground next to him. “-Y-yeah…?” He stared at the other, one hand tightly holding his. 

Fire Spirit bit his lips, averting his eyes from Knight for a second before letting out a shaky breath and looking back at him. “-D-don’t do this. It’s suicide! Y-you can’t fight them!” He kept staring at the blond, desperate and pleading tone of voice while he held onto his hand. 

Knight bit his lip, gazing at the ground for a second.  
Finally, he let out a deep sigh, a sad yet calm expression on his face. “-I know…” He gently caressed the other hand with his own. “-But… I have to do it, I have to try. If I have to die…” He paused. “-I would much rather be fighting until the last second.” Knight kept staring at Fire Spirit, determined look on his face.

The demigod let out a sigh, closing his eyes.  
He knew he wouldn’t be able to change Knight’s mind, he didn’t even have the strength to try to get him out of there.

All he could do, was sit and watch, hoping for the best. 

Biting his lower lip, Fire Spirit gazed back at Knight, worried expression on his face as he slowly brought the other hand closer to his face. “-Please be careful…” He whispered, holding his hand tight. “-I’ll be here for you in the end, no matter what.” 

Knight offered him another small smile, leaning in and touching their foreheads together. “-No matter what.” He whispered. Just leaning against the demigod for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and starting to get up. 

Taking a step forwards, Knight looked back at Pitaya, who just continued to watch the two interact quietly, with a determined expression on his face. Holding his sword tightly, he took a deep breath, before finally opening his mouth.  
“-I accept your deal, Red God.” His voice was serious, despite how he could feel himself sweating from the nerves. Knight quickly took another look back, staring at Fire Spirit for a second before turning back to look at the God in front of him. “-With the condition Fire Spirit stays out of battle range.” 

Pitaya’s grin grew even more, sharp fangs showing. They let out a quiet chuckle, taking a step back. “-Sure. You can put him against one of the trees far back.” They looked behind them both, staring at some of the trees that haven’t been affected by the previous battle. “-My focus won’t be on him anyway.” They squint their eyes, glaring at Knight’s direction.

Knight gulped, letting out a quick nod before turning back to catch Fire Spirit, helping the demigod get up and supporting him with his good arm around his shoulders. 

For the first time, Knight was seeing just how bad the demigod injures truly were. 

Both walked calmly and slowly, Fire Spirit letting out a quiet hiss of pain every now and then whenever he moved too quick.

“-I…” Knight suddenly spoke, voice just a whisper. “-I’m… Sorry for holding onto you so tightly.” He gulped, biting his lip, having just noticed Fire Spirit most certainly had broken ribs, and thinking back on how tightly he kept holding him around that area. 

Fire Spirit stared at him for a second, before letting out a weak laugh. “-Heh, it’s alright buttercup.” He smiled, Knight couldn’t help but smile either after hearing the demigod call him by his nickname again. “-Don’t worry about me now… You got something way bigger to focus on.” The sad smile was back on his face. 

Knight smile fell as well. “-R-right…” He turned his eyes away from the other, staring forward, noticing they were getting closer to the trees Fire Spirit would rest against. “-I’ll just have to yell at you for not being careful after i’m done.” The blond let out a weak chuckle of his own, staring back at the other, finally stopping and helping Fire Spirit sit down, back rested against the trees. 

He knew part of him was just telling this to make himself feel better as well.  
Knight knew the chances of him not returning and this being the last time he talked with Fire Spirit were pretty high. 

The demigod let out a quiet laugh, sad smile still in his face as he was helped down. Once his back was finally against the tree,he let out another quiet hiss while trying to get himself to a more comfortable position, never letting go of Knight’s hand helping him. 

Knight also continued to hold onto his hand, while his other hand held the sword tightly, finally leaning in and touching their foreheads together and closing his eyes, Fire Spirit following suit right after. 

There was a moment of silence between them, the tension high with the giant form of Pitaya looming over them. 

There was so much both wanted to tell each other, since they knew this could be the last time they would be talking and seeing each other.  
But they just held onto each other hands, appreciating the other presence. 

Finally, Knight let out a sigh, opening his eyes and staring at the other.   
“-I love you. I truly do.” He whispered, small tears making their way to his face once again along a weak smile.

Fire Spirit let out a quiet chuckle, smiling weakly at Knight as well.  
“-I love you too. You are the best thing that happened to me in a really, really long time…” 

Both were then leaning against each other one more time, sharing another small kiss. Both separated at pretty much the same time, resting their foreheads together again.

“-I’ll see you soon, no matter what…” Knight whispered, receiving a quiet nod from Fire Spirit, before the blond finally got up, cleaning the small tears from his eyes and turning to walk back towards Pitaya. 

Fire Spirit watched him go, all the emotions suddenly crashing down on him, making the demigod once again sob quietly while resting against the tree.  
He really hoped that Knight would pull another miracle, like he did that one time when both of them sparred together. 

Knight walked quietly towards Pitaya, head low while he kept the grip on his sword strong. Finally, he stopped in front of the God, turning his head upward to look at them.   
Staring back at their terrifying red eyes and sharp grin.   
“- I-I’m ready.” The blond said, voice shaking while his eyes never left the other. 

Pitaya let out another chuckle, getting up from the sitting position they had settled themselves in and staring back at the human. “-Good.” They said, voice serious as they slowly moved back, circling around Knight like a predator stalking their prey. “-I would like to get this done quick so I can just move on and forget about it.” The Red God let out a growl, glaring at Knight.

Knight eyes kept following the other, sword held tight on his hands as he kept his balance and position ready for anything.   
He didn’t said anything else, just kept staring as the God circled him. 

Knight might not stand a chance, but he would fight with all he had until his last breath. For his village, for Fire Spirit, for himself. 

The expression on his face turned to a determined one, as he kept following the God with his eyes. 

  
Finally Pitaya stopped, standing between Fire Spirit field of vision, and Knight.   
They let out a loud growl, tail moving around and mane puffing up. “-Get ready to die, human.” 

And then, they were taking a deep breath, ready to blow flames at the other direction.

Knight eyes shouted in surprise as the human let out a shocked gasp, quickly rolling out of the flames way, barely avoiding them.

He didn’t get hit, but the heat of the flames was unbearable and had him hissing just by being too close. Knight knew that if he got hit by one of those blasts, he would be done for. 

The blond was quick back on his feet, not wasting a second as his eyes turned back at the beast in front of him, who was preparing to release another blast of flames in his direction.   
Holding his sword tightly, Knight just began to run at the God direction in a zigzag manner as fast as he could, Pitaya blasting flames at his direction at full force, Knight kept avoiding them, hissing in pain slightly every time he felt their heat on his back and sides. Finally, the blond was close to Pitaya, raising his sword, Knight jumped at their front legs, trying to get a hit.

Pitaya whoever was quick, moving out of the way and making the other hit the air instead. As they stepped to their side, they let out a growl, quickly raising their front paw, ready to strike at Knight with their claws. 

Knight let out another gasp, head turning quickly and noticing the claws coming at his direction. He once again tried to jump out of the way to avoid the hit. 

He wasn’t as fast whoever, and the claws ended up scratching the back of his calf slightly, tearing the fabric of the pants. 

The blond let out a hiss in pain, rolling before getting up again. Panting while holding onto his sword, he took a quick look at his legs, noticing the attack hadn’t hit deeply, but it was enough to have drawn some blood.   
Gulping, Knight looked back at Pitaya, who was once again circling around him slowly. 

He didn’t have time to focus on that leg now. 

Soon, Knight was once again running at the Red God direction, sword in hand and determined expression in his face. 

Pitaya let out another growl, snarl on their face and digging their claws on the ground, they waited for the other to get closer.

Knight let out a loud grunt, once again aiming towards the beast front legs with all the strength he could master. 

The Red God simply flapped their wings, jumping in the air and over Knight, landing behind him quickly and letting out a roar, before striking their tail at full force in his direction. 

The blond let out a gasp, quickly turning around when noticing the other jumping over him. Knight could only wide his eyes in fear as he noticed the tail coming at him, trying once again to jump away. 

But as he was putting his weight on the already injured leg, he couldn’t jump as far, and the tail landed its hit, hitting the human right on his tights, not at full force, but enough to have Knight let out a cry in pain and fall to the ground. 

Both his legs were now injured. 

Panting and gasping slightly, Knight got back in his feet as quick as he could, both legs hurting, he knew that meant he wouldn’t be able to jump as well to avoid the attacks anymore.   
But he kept his stance. Teeth bared and pained yet determined expression on his face as he held his sword tightly, staring at the Red God in front of him. 

He was still standing. He would fight until his last breath. 

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Knight stared intensely at Pitaya, before letting out another quiet grunt and running at the other again, his movements slowed due to the injures in his legs not stopping him at all.

Pitaya let out a hiss, glaring down at the blond while their tail flicked angrily, getting ready to strike against him once again.

* * *

In the back, Fire Spirit could only panic while watching the whole thing.   
He never felt this terrified before. 

Knight was fighting against Pitaya. Fire Spirit HIMSELF didn’t stand a chance…

Knight’s chances were even lower.

Letting out a quiet whine, the demigod closed his eyes tightly. He wanted to keep watching, he had to.   
But he didn’t knew if he could watch the moment Knight wasn’t able to avoid an attack. The moment he would fall dead in front of him. 

Biting his lips, he turned his worried gaze back at the two figures in front of him, watching Pitaya rain down flames at the blond direction.   
Fire Spirit could only let out quiet whines as he watched Knight avoiding them, the demigod holding onto his own clothes tightly in fear. 

Closing his eyes again, the demigod tried for a second to focus on his breathing, which was hard to do with broken ribs and the panic he was going through, but he didn’t give up.

He suddenly felt a strange energy next to him, that had him raising his head and opening his eyes in confusion while looking at both his sides.  
The energy felt… Familiar. But there was no way it was them. Right? They weren’t able to teleport to the mortals realm by themselves yet…

The demigod only let out a quiet gasp, as there was a small burst of flames and light next to him, and from those burst, two familiar faces fell down.

Angel and Devil.

Somehow, they teleported themselves to the mortals realm. 

Eyes widen in shock, Fire Spirit just kept staring at them, who were still in the ground on top of one another, groaning quietly.   
“-...What…” Fire Spirit suddenly whispered, eyes still open in disbelief.

Angel and Devil quickly raised their heads, letting out quiet gasps of shock. 

“-FIRE SPIRIT!!” Both spirits shouted at the same time, before quickly jumping at the demigod direction, small tears in both their eyes.

Fire Spirit could only let out a huff as he was once again tackled by someone, hissing in pain from being hit in his broken ribs and arm. 

Both little spirits kept holding onto him, Angel full on sobbing while hugging his side, Devil with small tears in their eyes that they were trying to hide, while also holding Fire Spirit tight.   
"-W-WE FELT YOUR PRESENCE VANISHING!!” Angel turned to look at Fire Spirit, speaking between their sobs and hiccups. “-W-WE WERE SO WORRIED!!” They went to hide their face in Fire Spirit side again, tears still falling.

“-Y-you j-jerk!!” Devil was the one speaking now, angry tears in their sad eyes. “-D-Don’t you dare do this to us!” 

Fire Spirit kept staring at them, mouth open in shock, he still couldn’t believe the two managed to teleport through the realms.  
“- Wha- How…” He slowly raised his good hand, touching both their heads for a second. “-You two teleported to the mortals realm…” He whispered, still staring at the two. 

Angel let out a fast nod, still not letting go of Fire Spirit. 

Devil nodded as well, cleaning their tears slightly. “-We didn’t think we could yet…” Their voice was low. “-B-but…” They frowned, eyes avoiding Fire Spirit’s.

“-W-WE WERE JUST SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU AND KNIGHT!!” Angel suddenly shouted, head raising to look back at Fire Spirit. “-W-we could feel things weren’t going well, s-so we just…” They sniffled, pausing for a second.

“-We just wanted to be here with you…” Devil finished, voice a whisper. Angel once again quickly nodding in confirmation. 

Fire Spirit frowned. He was honestly proud of the two for being able to do something like this. Teleporting between realms was something only minor spirits with pretty advanced magic could do in their own. Usually, they could only teleport if the God or demigod they worked under allowed them. So for the two, who magic was still developing, to do that, was really impressive. 

But the moment REALLY wasn’t right. 

Biting his lip, Fire Spirit gently pushed them away, trying to point out his injures, which quickly was noticed by the two. Angel letting out a quiet gasp as they slowly moved away from his broken ribs.   
“-I’m… I’m really proud you two managed to do something like this but…” He stared at them, pained expression in his face. “-T-this is the WORST place for you two to be right now!” 

Pitaya wouldn’t hesitate to kill them both either, after all.

“-F-fire spirit…” Angel quiet voice spoke, as the little spirit gently touched his leg. “-W-what happened…?” 

Fire Spirit let out a sigh, frowning slightly. “-I… I fought against Pitaya to protect Knight and his village and give them enough time to run…” He let out a weak laugh. “-It… Went as well as you can imagine, just by looking at me.” 

Both spirits took a quick look at the demigod, being able to see his injuries clearly, they both frowned, worried look in their little faces. 

Devil eyes suddenly shout up. “-Wait...W-where is Knight, then? Is he safe…?” They asked, voice filled with concern.

Fire Spirit let out a quiet whine. He opened his mouth, ready to tell them what happened.

But a loud cry had him widening his eyes in fear, quickly looking forwards back at the battle. 

Only in time to see Knight being striked right in his side by one of Pitaya’s claws. Blood quickly flowing from the hit.

* * *

Knight kept moving towards Pitaya. His legs were screaming at him to stop, but he ignored them, just focusing on the God in front of him.

Pitaya let out a hiss, taking a deep breath and releasing more flames at the other direction as he moved closer towards them.

Using all the energy he could, Knight continued his best at trying to avoid the flames. One of the strikes ended up brushing towards his arm, making him let out a loud hiss in pain as the flames burned his arm slightly alongside his clothes, making the blond jump to the side, eyes turning towards the arm that has been hit.

The injure was slightly red and burning, not a serious burn as it should have been, but it definitely stung.   
Knight wondered if the clothes he had that were enchanted helped to protect him, even if just a little. 

Not having time to wonder about that, Knight was quickly back on his feet, running towards Pitaya again. 

The Red God let out another growl, angry frown on their face as they watched Knight move close. 

This was honestly taking longer than the Red God expected it to…

Again in front of them, Knight jumped, aiming for their front legs with all the strength he could gather. 

Catch in their own head, Pitaya almost missed the other coming towards them, but managing to move to the side just in time. The blade of the sword hitting them, but barely doing anything against their scales.   
It had the Red God letting out a growl, quickly raising their claws at Knight direction once again.

Knight, who still caught in the momentum of his jump, couldn’t move away properly.  
The blond only touched the ground with his feet, before he quickly turned to the side, watching the claws moving faster towards him. 

He let out a gasp, trying to jump away, but his legs hurted, he couldn’t move as fast.

And so, he felt the claws hitting his right side. Digging into him.

Knight could only let out a loud, pained cry as he felt the blood coming out of the wound. 

Falling to the ground with another pained gasped, Knight held onto his side, pressing onto the wound. It didn’t seem to have hit any major organs, but it was pretty deep. The blood getting lost between the red clothes he wore. 

Knight could hear Fire Spirit desperate cries calling his name behind him. 

But he kept holding onto himself, panting tiredly and from the pain. He slowly turned his head up, seeing Pitaya’s form looming over him dangerously as they slowly approached him again. 

His side hurt, his legs were killing him as well, the tears of pain already flowing in his face as his shaking hand tried to press onto the wound. 

Knight could feel this was the end.  
There was nothing he could do, was there?

Every story always tells how no mortal can go against a God. He was forced to read those stories over and over again, he knew that better than anything. 

Closing his eyes tightly, Knight kept breathing and panting, head low as he heard the God steps getting closer. 

He failed. He knew from the start he didn’t stand a chance, but still…  
Well… At least he got to see Fire Spirit one last time, got to hold him in his arms…

Got to tell him how he felt. 

...

Letting out a quiet whine, Knight expression suddenly turned into a determined one.

No.  
He would NOT give up like this.

He promised to fight until his last breath, and well, he still was breathing, wasn’t he?! 

Grunting, Knight slowly got up, using his sword for extra support while the other hand held onto his side.   
Slowly raising his head, Knight stared back at Pitaya angry face. 

Quickly, Knight took off his cape in one swift motion.  
The cape Fire Spirit gave to him… A cape that has become something very special to him.

Letting out a hiss, Knight quickly wrapped the cape around him, tying it tightly around his wound, the blue cape quickly getting smeared with red. 

Still panting, the blond looked up, back at Pitaya’s face.  
He held his sword tightly in his hands again.

Time to give everything. Time for his final strike.   
He would fight until his last breath. For his village, for Fire Spirit, for everyone.

Pitaya stopped in front of him, growling, before they let out a loud roar, quickly raising their claws and striking down onto Knight once more.   
Knight quickly jumped to the side, avoiding the hit completely.   
And just as fast, he launched himself against the leg on the ground next to him, nailing his sword right at its side.

The Red God eyes widen in shock, letting out a loud roar in pain as they swung their leg upwards, making Knight, who was still holding onto his sword tightly, fly upwards as well.

His sword letting go of Pitaya’s paw, Knight held tightly onto it as he found himself in the air.

Pitaya quickly looked up at Knight, enraged look in their face as they let out another roar, flapping their wings and jumping at Knight’s direction, mouth open. 

Things once again seemed to go on slow motion.

Fire Spirit from the side, kept staring at everything, tears falling freely on his face and his heart beating fast from both fear and panic. On his side, Angel and Devil were crying as well, shocked and petrified expressions on both their faces.

Pitaya kept getting closer, mouth open, ready to close on Knight.

Knight stared down at the other approaching, pained expression on his face as he held his sword tightly. 

Then, letting out a loud grunt, Knight’s expression turned into a determined one.  
Somehow, the blond managed to move while in mid air, just second before Pitaya mouth was closing right where his lower body was seconds ago. 

Quickly jumping over their head, Knight rolled down Pitaya’s back, all the way down. 

Pitaya let out a shocked gasp once they realized the other was on top of them, quickly turning their neck, getting ready to get Knight off them. 

Knight kept holding onto his sword, raising it up, ready to strike it down on the God’s back.

Pitaya was then jumping, making Knight lose his balance, launching the blond forward towards the God tail, that was ready to strike Knight down.

Seeing the tail coming to his direction, Knight just raised his sword again, closing his eyes tightly.

He then swung it down at full force, eyes still closed as he heard another loud roar, before his body was hitting the rough ground, making him let out a loud cry in pain as he fell on his already injured side.

There was then, another thump falling next to him, seconds after.

Slowly getting up with a shaking hand, Knight stared at his side.

And suddenly, he heard gasps coming from behind him, before he too let out a quiet gasp, staring at what was next to him shocked, forgetting the pain in his body for a minute.

As next to him, stood what was clearly the tip of Pitaya’s tail, cut clean, not moving a inch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, only one chapter left, and then there is an epilogue
> 
> W H O ' S R E AD Y F O R I T ? : )


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, it all comes to a end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAH IS FINALLY HERE! The final chapter!  
> Well, there IS going to be an epilogue, but ya'know. The main story technically ends here dasjkdajd
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, you guys have no idea how much fun it has been to write and develop this AU, and I'm SO GLAD so many people enjoyed it <33
> 
> But again, like I said, don't worry for there WILL be an extra chapter! And with that chapter, I'll be sharing the link for THE OFFICIAL ASK BLOG FOR THIS AU! That's right! :D  
> Of course, if you follow my art tumblr, you might get that info a little earlier, but still pfff
> 
> Let's just get this over with, hmm? :')

The silence around was intense.   
The only sounds being the low cackles of the fires around, alongside the wind breezes gently blowing. 

Clearly, every being around was still processing just what they were seeing.

Pitaya, specially, could only continue to stare, mouth open and eyes wide in shock, trying to deduce if what they were seeing wasn’t some sort of trick.

But it wasn’t.

That was the tip of their tail, cut clean, on the floor, next to the human.

The human who actually managed to land a hit on them.

They weren’t really worried about the damage itself, honestly, it wasn’t even bleeding. It has just been the tip of their tail, no doubt it would be able to grow again once they returned to the Gods realm, and even if it didn’t, they would be able to go on with their life without it no problem.

Still, the fact someone HAD landed a hit to cut it to begin with, THAT was something the Red God was still processing…

They had fought hundreds of mortals in all the centuries they existed. Not a single one ever managed to lay a good hit on them, not a single one managed to injure them like this.

But Knight did. Knight landed a hit. 

Knight did something hundreds of humans have tried to do for ages but failed, and he did it all by himself. 

Pitaya closed their mouth, eyes still wide while they stared at the human in question, who was too busy staring at the tail next to him to realize the Red God stare. 

...Knight really WAS something, huh?  
Perhaps there where some truth in Fire Spirit words when the demigod said Knight was special. 

Pitaya found themselves smiling slightly. 

Guess they were wrong about this one.

* * *

Knight continued to stare at his side, mouth and eyes open wide. 

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Was… Was that the tail of the Red God next to him…?  
DID HE ACTUALLY CUT IT?!

His whole body hurt, the last of the burst of adrenaline vanishing, bringing back the awful pain on his side and legs. Knight knew he shouldn’t just stay there, staring at a piece of tail when the owner of it was still very much behind him.

But he couldn’t move. He wasn’t sure if he even had the strength to at this point. 

Knight let out a quiet whine, hand holding onto his side again. It didn’t seem like it stopped bleeding yet, or maybe it had, but it started to bleed again when he fell on the side when hitting the ground, he wasn’t sure. 

With shaking legs and arm, Knight tried his best to get up, not having the support of his sword, that had flung away from him when he fell down, it was turning to be a pretty difficult task.

Letting out a gasp, he just fell to the ground.  
He didn’t have the strength to keep fighting anymore. He was at the mercy of the Red God now, and surely they would be enraged with him by now.

Laying on his back, Knight kept holding his side, body still shaking slightly as he continued to breath heavily, eyes closing slightly, he was just waiting now.

He gave his all. He was proud of himself. He fought with all he had to protect Fire Spirit and everyone else.   
He had failed, but he couldn’t blame himself.

Letting out a quiet cough, Knight tried to turn his head to take a final look at Fire Spirit.

Just in time to see a burst of pink flames next, and behind him, and soon enough, the huge beast and their tail was no more.

Standing back there, was the Red God in their regular form. The tail tip next to Knight had shrunk as well, clearly reflecting the size of the God now. 

Pitaya wasn’t staring at him, they kept their head low, eyes closed while they flicked their tail.  
Their tail without a tip. 

Knight gulped, shaking slightly as the Red God slowly raised their head, gaze distant.   
His fear only rised when Pitaya suddenly turned their head, now staring directly at the blond with their red eyes.

And then, for everyone shock, the Red God was suddenly smiling, letting out a loud laugh, shoulders rising slightly with the laughs.

Knight just stared, confused. He really had no idea what was going on anymore.

* * *

Fire Spirit couldn’t believe his eyes.  
Never, since he came to be a immortal, he thought he would be seeing something like this.

Never he thought he would be seeing Pitaya get a hit like that.

The demigod let out a quiet laugh, a small smile on his face.   
Of course Knight would be the one pulling something like that. 

He could feel tears in his eyes again. 

On his side, Angel and Devil were also staring, disbelieving and shocked looks in their faces.

Seeing a God take a hit like that, was something incredibly rare. Some would say impossible even. Sure, the damage wasn’t huge, but it was still a lot. 

Fire Spirit then opened his eyes wide, gaze turning towards Knight’s form on the ground. He had hit him, but Pitaya was still there. The threat was still there.  
Letting out a grunt, the demigod started to get up, using the tree for support while minding his broken ribs and arm, Angel and Devil quickly noticing him moving, and jumping to his side. 

“-Hey Hey! Watch it! Do you realize how hurt you are?!” Devil asked, frowning in frustration while trying to support the demigod the best they could. “-What are you even thinking moving like that?!” 

“-Devy is right Fire Spirit!” Angel jumped in, a worried look in their face while they too tried to help the demigod. “-You shouldn’t be moving like this…” 

The demigod let out a hiss, finally managing to stand up, he took a deep breath, eyes still focused on Knight’s direction before looking back at the two little spirits.  
“-I...I need to go towards Knight.” He gulped. “-He’s hurt, I- I need to help him! I… I can’t let Pitaya kill him...” As soon as he was finished, he started to very slowly attempt to walk towards the blond.

Angel and Devil let out quiet gasps, trying their best to hold Fire Spirit back without injuring him even further.  
“-B-BUT! YOU ARE HURT TOO!” Angel spoke, small tears in their eyes as they tried to hold Fire Spirit by his leg. “-Pitaya will just kill both of you…!” 

“-Pitaya will kill me anyway…” Fire Spirit whispered, sad look in his eyes. “-That was their deal. Either Knight wins, or we both and his village would die…” The demigod looked back at the two, a hurt and pleading expression in his eyes. “-Please… If it’s going to happen, I just… I just want to be next to him…”

More tears continued to fall down Angel eyes, a hurt expression on Devil’s face as well. The spirits quickly looked at one another, once again seeing to be talking between themselves. Finally, letting out a sigh, they both turned back at Fire Spirit, sad looks still in their faces.

Slowly, both spirits started to help Fire Spirit walk, never letting go of his side. 

Fire Spirit was about to stop them, saying they should just go and hide so they too didn’t die, he didn’t WANT them to die, after all.   
But then, there was a burst of pink flames, Pitaya soon appearing in their standard form again, making the demigod and both little spirits gasp in surprise.

Then, all three of them were staring in confusion, as the Red God just began to laugh.

* * *

Knight honestly couldn’t tell if he was even alive anymore, what was happening in front of him surely didn’t seem real, at least.

The Red God, continued to laugh, one hand on their stomach as the other cleaned away small tears that appeared from laughing so much.

Was...Were they laughing at him? At some cruel joke they were thinking to themselves about how they would end Knight or something?

Knight was so caught up in his own head thinking of the possibilities, he didn’t even realize said God had quietly approached him.   
And was now standing in front of him, smirk in their face while their tail continued to move.

The blond let out a gasp, trying to move backwards on instinct, letting out a hiss in pain after doing so. He continued to look at Pitaya, the scared expression never leaving his face.

From the back, Knight could see the form of Fire Spirit also slowly moving, strangely it seemed he was being held up by something, but the blond couldn’t see anyone but the demigod there. As soon as the demigod realized Pitaya standing in front of Knight, he too let out a gasp of fear.

Pitaya and Knight kept staring at each other, the Red God had stopped laughing by now, but the smirk on their face really wasn’t making the human be any less nervous.

Then, the Red God arm was moving. 

Knight flinched, closing his eyes tightly and lowering his head on instinct, waiting for a blow of any kind.

  
  


But none came.

“-Congratulations, human.” Pitaya suddenly spoke, voice not filled with anger for the first time, making Knight quickly shout his head up, confused and shocked expression on his face while the God continued to smirk, one hand extended towards the human on the ground.  
“-You won.” They grinned, showing their fangs, hand still towards Knight. 

The blond eyes widened even more, staring at the God in front of him.

Did… Did he heard it right…?

Has… Has Pitaya just said they...Won?!

“-W...W...What…?” Knight whispered, surprised expression never leaving his face as he continued to stare at the Red God. 

“-You won.” Pitaya shrugged, closing their eyes, small smile on their face while one hand was on their hip and the other still towards Knight. “-You have proven to me to be a brave soul. For the start, you didn’t stand a chance, and you knew that, but you didn’t let that stop you.” They looked back at Knight. “-And in the end, you managed to do something no other human did in centuries. So, for that, I call the battle off. You win.” The Red God grinned again, tail waving around. 

Knight continued to stare, mouth agape still in disbelief. Slowly, he raised his hand, taking the hand the God offered him, soon, Pitaya was helping him up the ground, back on his feet. 

“-I...I won…?” His voice was shaking, while he tried to keep his balance now that he was on his feet again, one hand still pressing on his bleeding side. 

He couldn’t believe it. Did he really do it?! Did he fight a God and SURVIVED?!   
Did he really manage to save Fire Spirit and all his village?! 

Pitaya just let out a quiet chuckle.  
“-You sure did.” They smirked at Knight. “-Can’t believe you pulled a move like that, I was sure you were done for!” Another laugh. 

“-Y-You…” Fire Spirit weak voice had the Red God turning their head back, staring at him. “-You… Aren’t joking, right…?” He continued, voice shaking while he continued to stare at Pitaya. “- I-I didn’t heard it wrong, did I?! Y-You said Knight won, r-right?!” Fire Spirit continued to ask, the smallest of smiles on his face as he tried to run towards the God and human in front of him, Angel and Devil letting out quiet yelps as they tried to help the demigod. 

Pitaya stared at Fire Spirit for a few seconds, before letting out a quiet huff, small smirk on their face as they began to walk towards his direction, stopping right in front of him.

Fire Spirit stopped, hopeful look on his eyes as he stared up at Pitaya, his breathing was getting fast, but he didn’t care about it now.

Pitaya quickly took a look down, looking at the two little spirits on the demigod side, before looking back at him.   
Closing their eyes, Pitaya let out another small chuckle, before looking back at Fire Spirit, smirk on their face as they lifted their hand, gently touching the demigod shoulder on his non-injured arm.

“-You didn’t heard me wrong.” They spoke, voice low. “-He won. He proved to me to be a worthy soul.” Letting out a quiet huff, smile never leaving their face, they turned back at Knight, who was still staring at them in shock. “-I’ll keep my part of the deal. You two, alongside his whole village are safe to go.” The Red God stared at Fire Spirit again. “-...And what are YOU waiting for, Fire Spirit?!” They smirked, crossing their arms.

Fire Spirit jumped slightly, he was so lost staring at Knight he didn’t realize when Pitaya turned back to talk with him. Blinking, he looked back at the God, mouth slightly open. “-W-what…What do you mean?” He asked, a nervous expression on his face.

The Red God let out another chuckle, closing their eyes for a second before looking back at the demigod, a sly smirk in their face. “-Just go to him already. I can tell you wanted to jump to him the moment you two parted ways.” Pitaya turned their gaze back at Knight, smiling slightly. “-I guess he is a pretty good match for you. You both are stubborn as a door. If there was any being who would be able to handle you, it definitely would be him. So stop staring at me like a dead fish and just go to him already, you idiot.” They looked back at Fire Spirit, small smirk in their face while their arms remained crossed. 

The demigod opened his eyes again, a small blush on his face as he stared at the Red God.  
He then quickly turned towards Knight, seeing the human locking eyes with him as well.

Fire Spirit was then letting out a quiet laugh, happy tears going down his face, as he suddenly just got out of Angel and Devil grasp, quickly running at Knight, completely ignoring his injures and the frustrated protests of the little spirits behind him. 

Knight was doing the same the second he noticed the demigod moving. 

And so, despite both being injured, they soon were holding onto each other tightly, happy tears on both their faces as they let out raspy laughs between their sobs.

“-O-oh my stars Knight…!” Fire Spirit spoke, voice low and shaking between sobs, the happy smile never leaving his face as he gently caressed Knight’s head with his good hand, his own head resting on the blond shoulder. “-Y-You really are amazing.” The demigod let out another quiet laugh, just holding the other tight.

Knight let out a laugh of his, arms around Fire Spirit neck as he held the other closer, tears freely going down his eyes. “- I-I still can’t believe it…!” He gently moved away from the demigod, one arm still around him while the other tried its best to clean some of the tears away as he looked at the other. “-This all seems so… S-surreal!” He closed his eyes, a warm smile on his face as he continued to try to clean his face.

“-I know!” Fire Spirit chuckled, hands moving to gently hold Knight’s face, making the blond stare at him. “-B-But of course… If any mortal out here would pull a m-miracle like this, it would have been you.” He let out a quiet sigh, warm smile on his face as well as he gently caressed the other face with his thumbs. “-I knew you were amazing… But you keep impressing me and giving me more and more reasons to love you.” Fire Spirit whispered, gently touching the two foreheads, eyes never leaving Knight’s.

Knight just kept smiling, face blushing as he held onto the hands in his face, letting out a quiet giggle.

They stood there in silence, eyes closed, just holding each other for a few minutes.  
That honestly was enough for both of them for now, just knowing the other was there, safe. 

Alive.

Fire Spirit continued to caress Knight’s face, smile never leaving his face as he opened his eyes and looked at him, Knight doing the same.   
They smiled at each other, slowly moving closer to each other.

Fire Spirit then let out a quiet hiss in shock, moving away from Knight, staring down in surprise, he found himself staring at the crying faces of both Angel and Devil, each spirit holding onto one of his legs tightly.

Knight just stared at the demigod in confusion, taking a glance down and not seeing anything.   
“-U-uh...Is… Is everything ok?” He asked, voice low.

The demigod quickly stared back at him, seeing his confused look, before realizing that, of course… They were in the mortals realm. Knight couldn’t see Angel and Devil, no mortals could see minor spirits in here. 

He let out a quiet chuckle, looking down at his legs for a second, before looking back at Knight, small smile in his face. “-Yeah, I’m ok.” Fire Spirit let out a quiet huff. “-Just some little spirits holding onto my legs, crying their eyes out now that they can see you are alright, is all.” The demigod smirked at Knight direction, knowing he would quickly catch on what he was saying.

And sure enough, Knight was quickly opening his eyes in shock.   
“-W-wait…!” He looked down, seeing nothing. “-Y-You mean--! Angel and Devil are here?!” Knight looked back at Fire Spirit, a surprised look in his face as he held onto the demigod shoulders.

Fire Spirit let out a quiet giggle, hands moving to Knight’s waist as he looked down at his legs, at the happy crying faces of the little spirits. “-Yup. They sure are. Teleported here all on their own when you went to fight Pitaya, can you believe it?!”   
Angel let out a quiet giggle, nuzzling against Fire Spirit leg, as Devil had a proud smirk on their face, one arm around the demigod’s other leg. 

Knight still stared at the ground where he supposed the two little spirits were, a quiet laugh escaping his lips. He honestly didn’t understand how their powers worked, but from the way Fire Spirit said it, it sure seemed like it was a big feat.   
“-I wouldn’t say teleporting in the middle of a battle was that good of a thing though.” He let out another laugh, a playful tone in his voice. “-I mean really, what if they got hurt?!” His face was now one of concern, a scolding tone in his voice as he looked back at Fire Spirit. 

The demigod just let out a nervous laugh. “-Yeeeah… It definitely wasn’t.” He looked down, a serious look on his face as he stared at them. “-I DID already let them know that while I’m proud of them for doing it, it still wasn’t a good thing.” Fire Spirit let out a huff, scolding tone clear in his own voice.

Angel and Devil let out a quiet whimper, nervous look in both their faces as they averted their eyes from the demigod.   
“-We were just worried about you two…!” Angel said, a small blush on their face as their tail moved nervously.

“-Y-Yeah!” Devil continued, a nervous look on their own face. “-Next time we’ll just let you guys die, then!” They let out a quiet “humph”, letting go of Fire Spirit leg, standing next to it instead while crossing their arms.  
Their tail quickly grabbed onto the demigod leg though, still keeping their hold on him. 

Fire Spirit let out a laugh, and when noticing Knight’s confused look, he quickly filled him in on what they just said, making the blond let out a laugh of his own.

Knight continued to stare down, a sad smile on his face. “-I’m glad you two are okay though. You two sure were pretty brave to stay and protect Fire Spirit while I was fighting.” He offered them a calm smile. 

Both little spirits let out a quiet chuckle, Angel’s tail moving around happily as they let out quiet giggles as they continued to hold onto Fire Spirit leg. Devil clearly happy to have been praised as well. 

Fire Spirit smiled, before looking at Knight. “-They are happy you are well too. They were worried about you as well, you know?” He began to caress Knight face again, voice gentle. 

The blond chuckled. “-Really?” The blush in his face got bigger as he looked back at the demigod, hands moving from his shoulders to hold into the other face as well.

“-Of course!” Fire Spirit whispered, slowly bringing Knight’s face closer to his. “-You became a really important person to them as well, you know…?” He smiled, face centimeters away from the other, a warm smile in his face. “-Or you know, they were just worried they would lose their playmate. Who knows.” Fire Spirit looked at Knight, a playful smirk on his face. 

Knight rolled his eyes slightly, letting out a quiet giggle before staring back at Fire Spirit. “-Just shut up and kiss me already, you idiot.” He whispered between laughs, hands caressing the demigod face. 

“-No need to tell me twice, buttercup~” Fire Spirit smirked, letting out a quiet laugh.

Before finally, closing the small distance between them, lips touching in a gentle kiss.

This time, it definitely wasn’t a awkward one, and the moment was nothing if perfect. 

As they kissed, Fire Spirit could hear the happy giggles from Angel from below him, along Devil’s fake throwing up sounds.

The demigod let out a quiet laugh between the kiss, but didn’t focus on them. He only focused on the other around his arms, both of them smiling between their kiss.

* * *

Pitaya just stared at the two, arms still crossed and a small smile on their face. 

Those two really did deserve each other.

They let out a happy huff, before their expression turned into a worried one as they stared at the ground.

They couldn’t help but think what would happen now.

Of course they would keep their promise. They made a deal with Knight, and surely they would fulfil it. Knight and his whole village were out of limits for any of the other Gods now. That doesn’t mean they would be happy about it though.

That surely would get them talking about “The Red God going soft” again. 

The Red God let out a tsk, tail flicking nervously, they stared at the sky, being able to see it definitely was past midday here in the mortals realm, meaning it was about midday in the Gods realm.

They are definitely already waiting, and they too will come here demanding answers about the mortal and the blood ceremony.

And sure enough, as soon as the Red God began to think about it, there was a huge blast of light behind them. The sound being enough to have not only them, but the other four beings nearby looking back in surprise.

As soon as the light dissipated, there stood four forms.  
Ivory, Blue, Gold and Violet. 

Ivory with a frustrated look on their face and theirs arms on their back, Blue with a cold indifferent one as they held their hands in front of them, Violet with a bored expression, arms behind their head, and Ananas, of course, with a angry scowl, holding their staff tightly. 

Quickly, all of their eyes were staring at Pitaya.

The Red God gulped, turning their body to look at them, a scowl in their face. They took a glance behind them, seeing Fire Spirit had quickly moved and now was standing in front of Knight, a protective arm in front of the human.

Pitaya let out a sigh.  
Guess they would be dealing with this faster than ever.

The other four colored Gods approached them, and for a minute, all five Gods just stared at each other. 

Finally, Ivory opened their mouth to speak.  
“-We were waiting.” They said, voice cold while they kept their arms in their back. “-What--”

“-JUST WHAT EVEN IS GOING ON HERE?!” Ananas interrupted the other, growling angrily as they stepped closer to Pitaya. “-WHY ARE YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE MORTALS REALM?! AND WHY--” They pointed their staff at Fire Spirit and Knight, growling. “-WHY isn’t that mortal prepared to be killed?!” 

From afar, Knight gulped, flinching slightly, one hand taking hold of wrist of the arm that Fire Spirit had protectively in front of him, the demigod had a determined look in his face, but he too was sweating nervously.   
He had been so caught up in protecting Knight from Pitaya he forgot about the other four Colored Gods for a moment. 

“-Because.” Pitaya let out a growl of their own, stepping in front of Ananas, blocking their view from the other two. “-He isn’t being killed anymore. Simple as that.” The Red God looked straight at Ananas face, a determined look in their face.

Ananas let out a low growl, fangs bared on a snarl in their enraged face as they glared at Pitaya. **“-What.”** They spoke between growls, some of the rocks around them shaking slightly. 

The other three had surprised looks in their face. 

“-And why is that?” Blue suddenly spoke, the cold look still on their confused face as they took a step closer to Pitaya. “-I thought it had all been decided. Didn’t you wish for Fire Spirit to become a proper God already?” 

“-You SAID you would make him do it already.” Ivory interrupted before Pitaya could answer, a frustrated scowl in their face. “-We had EVERYTHING prepared, we were all waiting for a ceremony to happen today. Why did you change your mind?” They crossed their arms, glaring slightly at the Red God direction.

Pitaya let out a huff, staring back at the others and ignoring Ananas growling in front of them. They opened their mouth to speak, but another voice interrupted them first.

“Looks like the big red is once again going sooooft~!” Violet smirked, a singing tone of voice as they stared at Pitaya, their small tail wagging. 

There was sighs from Ivory and Blue, as both of them lowered their heads. 

Ananas let out another loud growl. Earth shaking underneath them, as they glared back at Fire Spirit and Knight. “-You… JOKE OF A GOD!” They shouted at Pitaya’s direction, hissing in anger. “-I KNEW IT! I ALWAYS SAID YOU HAD A SOFT SPOT FOR THESE WORTHLESS SACKS OF MEAT, AND I WAS RIGHT!” They slammed their staff in the ground. “-IT STARTED WITH BRINGING THAT USELESS ONE INTO THE GODS REALM.” They pointed their staff at Fire Spirit. “-AND NOW, YOU GO AND PROTECT ANOTHER ONE! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HAVE YOU NO PRIDE?!” The Golden God looked back at Pitaya, completely furious, the spikes in their tail rising in anger.

The Red God stayed quiet, an angry frown in their face as they stared at the ground, not looking at Ananas.

The Golden God let out a quiet growl. “-Fine.” They looked back at the demigod and the human. “-I’ll finish what your weak ass couldn’t do.” They rose their staff, slowly walking towards the two. 

Fire Spirit moved closer to Knight, Angel and Devil holding onto his legs tightly, clearly scared as well. Knight meanwhile kept the hold on the demigod wrist. 

Ananas staff began to glow. “-Completely. Useless. Wastes of space.” They glared at Fire Spirit and Knight, growling in anger.

There was then, a familiar blade right at their neck, making them stop and open their eyes in shock, the glow on the staff stopping as well.

Glaring back, they saw Pitaya, their teeth bared on a snarl as their hair puffed up.  
“-You dare to attack ANY of them…” They glared, pressing their claymore closer to Ananas throat. “-And I will slice that head full of yourself off SO FAST you won’t even have time to see their bodies hit the floor.” They tightened their hold in their weapon, tail moving in anger.

Ananas let out a loud growl. “-You…” They glared, lowering their staff. “-You really HAVE gone soft.” Their glare intensified. “-You are willing to kill a fellow God for THEM?! For a joke of a demigod and a human?!” The Golden God raised their voice, hissing.

Pitaya just pressed the blade further into their neck. “-Call me whatever you want.” They hissed. “-I can’t bring myself to care about you guys stupid views of me anymore.” The Red God growled, not a hint of lies in their words.

Because really, Pitaya DIDN’T CARE anymore.  
They knew this would happen the second they decided Knight had won their fight. They knew they would have to deal with the others and them saying they had gone soft.

And they couldn’t afford to care anymore.

I mean come on, a human didn’t care about what was right in front of him. Knight didn’t care he didn’t stand a chance when fighting Pitaya, but they still did it. He did it for someone else, someone he cared about.

Pitaya can’t remember the other four ever caring that much about them to begin with. 

They were a God, for crying out loud! They WERE powerful! They knew that! 

Pitaya didn’t need the others telling them that anymore. They already knew it by themselves.  
So you know what?! 

Fine! They admit. They HAVE gone soft. Maybe they DO enjoy interacting with mortals, and maybe they DO care about Fire Spirit, even if they did a really poor job at showing it.

And all that, didn’t make them less of a God.   
And if the other four colored Gods thought it did, to hell with them. 

Pitaya let out a huff. “-All I know is this.” They paused, the grasp on their claymore not moving a inch. “-Fire Spirit and that human, Knight? They, alongside Knight’s WHOLE village are now under MY protection.” The Red God hissed, frowning angrily. “-So don’t you DARE lay a finger on ANY of them.” Slowly, the Red God began to move their weapon away from Ananas neck. 

Ananas stared back, eyes wide in shock and anger, their mouth still set on a snarl, fangs bared. 

Ivory let out a frustrated sigh, one hand holding their forehead in annoyance. “-I hope you realize you MUST give us a proper explanation for such actions.” They glared at Pitaya. 

The Red God turned back, looking at them, claymore still being held tightly in their hands as they paused, thinking of the next words they would say.

  
  


The silence was broken, as Blue opened their eyes even more, finally having taken a look at Pitaya’s tail.

Or rather, the missing part of it. 

“-Red…” Their voice was low, as their eyes remained looking at the missing part. “-What happened to your tail?” 

Their question brought the attention of the other three Gods to it, including Ananas, who tried their best to look behind them from their position, and sure enough, all three of them were met with the Red God missing tail tip. 

Pitaya let out a quiet hum, tail moving upwards slightly as they looked at their missing tip. “-What happened is what decided my final judgement.” They smirked at the other Gods direction, raising their claymore and pointing it at Knight’s direction. “He proved his worth. We made a deal, he fought me, despite knowing very well he didn’t stand a chance, and against all odds, he managed to land a good hit on me that cut off a piece of my tail.” Pitaya lowered their weapon. “-And so, I decided he was something different from the other mortals. He won the deal, and now, he and anyone from his village are under my protection.” They squint at the others. “-Off every other Gods ill intentions.” 

Ivory, Blue and Violet stared, eyes wide in shock. They just stayed silent, processing the whole information.

Ananas whoever, obviously had more to say.

“-You telling me we can’t kill him, just because he managed to ‘fight’ you?!” They asked, hissing. “-AS IF. OF COURSE HE LANDED A HIT ON YOU. YOU’RE WEAK! IF HE FOUGHT AGAINST ME, HE WOULDN’T STAND A CHANCE!” They grinned dangerously, looking right at Knight’s face. “-In fact… Why don’t I show you just what I mean…” Ananas once again was rising their staff. 

Pitaya let out a loud growl, quickly moving, claymore drawn in anger. “-I SAID THEY ARE OFF LIMITS--” 

Both Gods just started growling and hissing at each other, weapons draw and ready to strike one another. Pitaya attention fully on holding back Ananas.

Making the Red God not realize as the other three began to move away from them, towards Knight and Fire Spirit.

* * *

Fire Spirit could feel himself shaking slightly, but not once lowering the protective arm in front of Knight. 

He obviously wouldn’t be able to fight anyone in the state he was, but he would die protecting Knight if it came to it. And of course, said human would do the same for him. 

Fire Spirit took a quick look back, staring right at Knight’s blue eyes.

Knight gave him a quick nod, a determined look in his face despite clearly being nervous, as the blond slides his hand from the demigod wrist holding tightly into his hand instead.   
Fire Spirit just nodded back, tightening the hold in his hand, before looking forward again.

Coming face to face with Ivory, Blue and Violet. 

The three Gods stared at them, completely impossible to read, they had the demigod and human sweating and shaking nervously. 

Then, Ivory was moving slowly, staring at Knight from behind the demigod, one hand on their back, as the other moved to their chin, a thoughtful look on their face, as they began to speak.   
“-So… You truly defeated Red all by yourself?” They asked, eyes never leaving Knight as they analyzed him up and down.

Fire Spirit and Knight jumped slightly in surprise, sharing a quick glance between themselves, before Knight was gulping.  
“-W-Well…” The blond began to speak, voice shaking. “- I-I don’t know if you can call it defeating, I just…” They paused, gulping nervously again while looking at the other intense stare. “- I-I got a lucky hit and c-cut a piece of their tail off, I-I guess…?” 

“-That surely was more than a lucky hit.” Blue voice spoke, the indifferent look on their face as they too looked at Knight. “-Are you aware how many mortals have gone against them? Not only them, but any of the other Gods?” The Blue God squinted. “-I for one, have to deal with you mortals coming after me more than I would like, all because they want selfish things for themselves.” 

Knight tightened the hold on Fire Spirit hand, eyes averting from the other Gods for a second as he stared at the ground nervously. “- I-I… I heard stories yes.” He bit his lip, slowly looking back up at the others in front of him.

“-Sooo… How did you even do it?” Violet asked, quickly moving behind Knight and also looking at them up and down, a curious look in their face. “-Did you use some blessed weapon of sorts? What was it?” 

Fire Spirit and Knight jumped slightly, not having seen the Violet God moving behind them. Knight took a step back, moving closer to the demigod.  
“-N-No? I… I just used my old sword I had for years…” The blond gazed back, looking at his sword still tossed in the ground, the small tail tip still next to it. “-I… I don’t know how I just… Did it.” He bit his lip nervously.

Violet let out a loud hum, squinting their eyes as they moved back next to the other two Gods.

Ivory finally stopped staring at Knight, straightening their back, their hands moved back behind them, tail moving calmly. “-Finally, if I may ask… WHY did you do it? Why did you accept to fight them when you knew you didn’t stand a chance?” 

Knight paused, mouth open and eyes wide, as the three Gods continued to stare at him, waiting for his answer.   
The human let out a quiet sigh, looking back up at Fire Spirit face, the demigod tightening the hold on his hand as their eyes made contact, offering Knight a small smile.

Knight smiled back, finally looking back at the Gods, a determined expression in his face. “-I did it to protect those I care about. I did it to protect all those back at my home village…” They paused, gentle smile on his face as he moved closer to Fire Spirit. “-And… I did it to protect the one I love…” The blond finished, voice low and a small blush in his face as he continued to stare at Fire Spirit, the demigod staring back at him, a loving smile on his face as well.

The three Gods eyes opened wide, staring between the two for a moment.

“-Hmm… I see…” Ivory spoke, voice quiet. Closing all their three eyes, they let out a sigh. 

At that point, Pitaya had noticed the three were gone, and was quickly moving towards them, a shouting and annoyed Ananas following them.

Ivory turned towards Blue and Violet, looking at the other two Gods for a minute, arms behind their back. The three Gods just stared at each other, almost as if they were having a conversation between themselves.

Finally, The Ivory God let out a quiet huff, a small smile appearing on their and Blue’s face, Violet grinning widely.  
“-Guess Red was right about you, then.” They looked back at Knight and Fire Spirit, small smile on their face. “-You truly are a worthy mortal.” 

Fire Spirit and Knight stared at them, eyes wide in shock. 

Pitaya, who finally was next to them, just heard their words, eyes opening wide as well. “-So…” They started, tail flicking around nervously. “-You… Agree with my decision?” They asked, frowning slightly.

Ivory let out a happy hum. “-I certainly don’t mind it. He is something special, isn’t he?” They closed their eyes again, smile still in their face as they turned towards Pitaya. “-How about the rest of you?” They opened their eyes again, looking at Violet and Blue. 

“-I agree.” Blue spoke, a small smile on their face as well as they turned towards Pitaya. “-I have to deal and talk with humans way more than I would like. When you do this, you end up noticing those who are truly worthy.” They let out a quiet sigh, hands gently on top of one another in front of them. “-And this one, sure proved himself.” 

“-Pfft he sure did!” Violet let out a quiet chuckle, hands on their hips. “-Guy cut off Red’s tail! That’s more than all those ten guys tried to do together that one time! And I mean…” They looked at Fire Spirit and Knight again, a sly mischievous look in their face. “-SOMEONE surely seems to enjoy his company~” 

The demigod and human blushed slightly, despite their nervous look, still holding onto each others hands tightly.

Blue let out another chuckle, covering their mouth with one of their hands. “-It does seem like it, hmm?” They too looked at Fire Spirit and Knight, a gentle smile in their face. 

Ivory looked at them as well, crossing their arms. “-I’m guessing this whole scheme to escape the Blood ceremony had to have been initiated from something pretty big to make Fire Spirit give up his dream of becoming a God.” They smiled at them as well.

Ananas meanwhile was staring at everything, eyes wide.  
“-Wait, WHAT?!” They shouted, walking next to the other three Gods. “-You guys are just-- AGREEING WITH THIS?!” Ananas frowned, tail flicking. “-And you telling me you are also agreeing with- THOSE TWO?! A MORTAL AND A DEMIGOD, TOGETHER?!” The Gold god growled, hand pointing towards Fire Spirit and Knight, who flinched slightly at the other shouting. 

“-Yes. We are.” Blue answered coldly, not even staring at the golden God. “-We are agreeing to all of it.” 

Ananas stared shocked, before letting out a low growl, hold on their staff tightening. “-Well, I’M NOT agreeing to it!” They let out a hiss, tail moving in anger. 

“-That really doesn’t matter.” Ivory shrugged, looking at Ananas blankly. “-It’s still a four against one vote. Like it or not, there is nothing you can do about it.” 

The Gold God stared shocked, mouth agape before lowering their head, fangs still bared on a snarl.   
“-Fine.” They said between growls. “-Do know I’ll NEVER stop complaining about it.” They glared at the other Gods direction.

“-Eh, whatever. We’ll just ignore it like all your other stupid rants.” Violet shrugged, fanged smirk on their face as they turned away from Ananas, who just let out another angry huff, as they crossed their arms and turned away from everyone, there was a burst of light, and soon enough, the Golden God was gone, back at the Gods realm. 

  
  


Fire Spirit and Knight just stared at everything, shocked looks in their eyes, before they slowly looked back at one another.

The demigod was then letting out a quiet laugh, the blond quickly following suit. 

They… They did it.   
THEY DID IT! 

Both of them were officially free to go!! Knight wouldn’t be sacrificed, his village would be safe, heck, the other Gods even had no problem with them being together!! 

Fire Spirit was once again wrapping Knight in his arms, holding his face in his hands, the demigod pressed small kisses all over the human face, making him giggle quietly, a blush in both their faces.   
Around him, Angel and Devil too were celebrating, little wings flapping as they held each other happily.

  
  


Pitaya let out another happy huff while staring at the two, smiling slightly.  
They were glad to have done one good thing for Fire Spirit in the end. 

Fire Spirit wouldn’t be turning into a God, but he clearly didn’t care about that anymore for the time being, he had something, or rather, someone else he would rather focus on.

And that honestly made the Red God happy. 

Their smile fell, as a dreadful thought made it way to their mind.  
Yes, Knight and Fire Spirit clearly loved each other very much but…

Knight was still a mortal. He would die eventually. Fire Spirit wouldn’t. 

They frowned, surely the demigod was aware of it, but Pitaya couldn’t help but worry.

They didn’t want Fire Spirit to get eventually hurt by this. 

Sighing, they decide to voice their worries.

“-Fire Spirit, Knight…” They spoke, voice quiet, catching the other two attention quickly.

Fire Spirit gulped, holding Knight’s hands tightly. “-Uh, Y-Yeah?” 

All the other Gods attention where on Pitaya as well as the Red God had their arms crossed, a sad expression on their face. “-I’m honestly glad things turned out like this.” They sighed. “-Sure, is not what I expected but hey, clearly is a good result if any.” Pitaya let out a sad smile, eyes looking at Fire Spirit. “-You two DO deserve each other. But… Fire Spirit…” They frowned, tail lowering. “-You are aware of the problem here, between you two, aren’t you?” 

The demigod stared at Pitaya, one eyebrow raised in confusion, before his eyes widened, his expression quickly turning into a sorrowful one.   
“-Oh… Right…” He said, voice shaking slightly.

Knight looked between Fire Spirit and the Red god, confusion and panic growing. “-Wait, I don’t… I don’t understand, what problem?” He asked, gently pulling the demigod hand towards him. 

Fire Spirit let out a sigh, small tears in his eyes. “-Is… Is the problem that I’m immortal, and you aren’t Knight.” He looked at the other blue eyes, a hurt expression in his face. “-I love you, so much... “ The demigod brought a hand to Knight’s face, gently caressing it again “-But… Time will come claim you from me eventually. I’ll lose you to it…” Fire Spirit let out a quiet whine. 

Knight gasped, processing the other words for a second.  
He was right…

Even if Knight and Fire Spirit could be together, they couldn’t BE together. Not forever.   
Knight didn’t have “forever” on his side. 

The blond tightened the hold on the other hand. “-I… I didn’t truly think about it…” He bit his lip, looking back at Fire Spirit. “-I honestly would love to spend the rest of MY mortal life with you… But I know it would ended up leaving you hurt in the end when I’m gone so… I… I don’t…” Knight let out a whine of his own, small tears in his own eyes.

Fire Spirit bit his lips, bringing Knight face closer, touching their foreheads. “-I know…” He whispered. “-We… We can just not think about it. I will gladly live with you for the rest of your life as well…” He offered Knight a small sad smile. “-You… Don’t need to worry about what happens to me after you…” The demigod gulped, pausing himself.

The blond opened his eyes wide. “-B-But… Is not fair…” He let out another quiet whine. “-I might live a good life b-but… What about you afterwards? Y-You… You should move on then, find someone else or--” 

Fire Spirit captured his lips quickly, silencing him, before he moved away, resting their foreheads again. “-Knight… I wouldn’t be able to find anyone as amazing as you…” He let out a quiet laugh. “-I… I’m sure I would be fine… Really. I-If you want to try this, try us, despite everything, I would be h-happy to…” 

Knight just stared at them as more tears fell down his face. He let out a sob, wrapping his arms around the demigod carefully and resting his head on the other chest. He just held him, as the tears continued to fall.

He obviously wanted to give this a try. He LOVED Fire Spirit like he never loved anyone.  
...But the idea of leaving the demigod all by himself eventually, Fire Spirit admitting he doubted he would be able to move on…

It hurted. 

Fire Spirit just held onto Knight, gently caressing his hair as small tears also fell from his eyes.

He knew it was selfish.   
He wanted to be with Knight forever, but Knight didn’t have that choice, he was sure the time he would spend with the blond would be wonderful, yes.

But the idea of eventually having to see Knight growing old, slowly being taken by time until he eventually was gone, really stung. 

  
  


The four Gods just stared at the two, sad expressions in their faces.

That’s one of the reasons relationships between mortals and immortals weren’t heard off.   
It usually didn’t end well to one or both beings.

...That… Didn’t mean there WASN’T a solution though.

The Blue God opened their eyes, turning towards Ivory.   
“-Ivory. What about… THAT ceremony?” They asked the other, hands once again being held in front of their body. 

Ivory opened their eyes, looking down at Blue. “-That ceremony…?” They frowned in confusion, thinking for a second, before opening their eyes wide in surprise. “-You mean… A Bonding ceremony?” 

Blue nodded, letting out a hum. “-That COULD fix their problem, couldn’t it?” 

Ivory hummed, hand on their chin. “-I suppose it would…” They looked back at Fire Spirit and Knight. “-The human would need to agree to it, whoever…” They looked back at Blue, a pensive look on their face.

“-You kidding me?!” Violet shouted, jumping between the other two Gods, finally making Fire Spirit and Knight shout their heads up and look at the Gods as well. “-Look at them!” Violet whined, pointing their hand at them. “-That’s literally the perfect solution to them! If they do it, they can be happy together or whatever!” 

Ivory sighed. “-Is not that simple, Violet…” They frowned at the small God direction. “-Knight would be giving up a lot.”

Violet huffed, crossing their arms. “-Yeah, Yeah sure. But he would be gaining even more!!” 

“-Uh, I-I’m sorry but… What are you guys talking about?” Knight, who had slowly moved closed to the Gods, still holding Fire Spirit hand asked, voice quiet. The demigod also had a curious look in his face.

The three Gods looked back at him, gazing at each other for a second, before turning their head back at them, Blue let out a deep sigh, before opening their mouth and explaining. 

“-We are talking about a Bounding Ceremony.” They said, voice blank. 

Ivory and Violet nodded in agreement.

Fire Spirit meanwhile, opened his eyes wide in shock.  
He knew what that ceremony was. He can’t deny the idea of it hadn’t crossed his mind but… 

He didn’t knew if he wanted to do that to Knight.

Knight stared in confusion. “-A...Bonding ceremony?” It sure sounded less threatening than ‘Blood ceremony’, that’s for sure. “-What… What’s that?” 

“-A Bounding Ceremony, is a ceremony that bound the souls of two or more beings together.” Ivory started, a calm look in their face as they explained. “-When done between a mortal and a immortal, it also turns the mortal soul into a immortal one. Making them a demigod.” They stared at Knight, waiting for the human reaction.

And Knight, just opened his eyes in shock, the hold on Fire Spirit hand tightening. 

Turn… Him into a demigod? A demigod like Fire Spirit…?  
Making it possible for him to stay with him?

“-Whoever, there are some things about the ceremony.” Blue interrupted, making the blond stare up at them, mouth still open in shock. “-For one, you would need to sacrifice your humanity. Everyone you ever met, they obviously would remain mortal, would grow old and die, while you would need to live with that. You would be able to see them as they grow, even visit them as you would be a demigod, but there would be nothing you could do to stop their eventual fate.” They paused. “-And second, the soul bonding would make you and Fire Spirit truly connected. Meaning that one wouldn’t be able to live if the other was to die. So, if one of you were ever killed, the other would die as well. Not only that, but you two would be able to feel each other more closely to a emotional level of sorts.” They frowned, letting out a sigh. “-That’s the basic of it. The ceremony itself is completely harmless. You would go over some physical changes eventually to reflect your new status, but still...I… Think the ceremony can be actually compared to your mortals… “Weddings”? Is that the word? The ceremony where two mortals promise to be with one another for life?” They looked at Knight, genuinely curious look in their face.

Knight didn’t answer them, still processing what he just heard.  
That… Sounded like a lot.

Sure, he would love to be with Fire Spirit, but still…  
Saying goodbye to everyone he knew? Princess… Pistachio… Chief…

The blond bit his lips, staring at the ground frowning. He felt someone pulling his hand gently, making him stare back at Fire Spirit, the sad smile on his face.

“-Hey… It’s alright buttercup…” He let out a quiet laugh. “-You… You don’t need to do it. Again we can just… Work something out.” He held Knight’s hands tightly, as he gently caressed them with his thumbs, a gentle smile in his face.

Knight stared at him, whining quietly as he held his hands.

The thing is, he wanted to. He really did…   
But… Would Princess be mad at him? What about the rest of the village?   
Was… Was he just running away to be with someone? Wasn’t that wrong? He did swore to protect the village and his people before everything, wasn’t that breaking a promise?

…

…

He found his mind going back to what Princess told him.  
How he always put everyone else needs in front of his own, and that it was time for him to worry about himself a little more. 

Part of him knew the girl would be upset but…  
He knew she also would be telling Knight to follow his heart. 

And follow his heart he would.

The blond let out a quiet laugh, smiling slightly as he looked back at Fire Spirit. “-I...I know…” He held the demigod hands. “-B-But I… I think I want to do it.” Knight looked back at Fire Spirit, a happy smile in his face.

Fire Spirit shouted his eyes in shock, mouth open. “-W-wait… R-really?!” He asked incredulous. “-B-but--! You would be saying goodbye to everyone and everything you knew! W-what about your friends?! I- I honestly want this but, I can’t bring myself to do it if you would feel awful about it!” The demigod lifted one of his hands, gently taking hold on Knight’s face, a sad smile in his own face.

Knight sighed, leaning in the demigod touch. “-I… I am sure.” He paused. “-I can’t deny, I will be sad. But…” Knight let out a quiet hum. “-My best friend told me I always put everyone else needs above my own. And she is right. I… I always was putting myself in danger if it would mean other would be safe, I didn’t care about myself or my own happiness…” Knight moved his hand, holding it on top of the demigod’s hand in his cheek. “-But that changed… As strange as it is, you taking me away from home truly allowed me to be more true to myself.” He looked at Fire Spirit, a warm smile in his face.  
“-And now, I honestly can’t see myself living any other way. I can’t see myself living without you by my side.” Knight could feel the tears in his eyes again. “-So… Will you bound your soul to mine for eternity?” 

Fire Spirit stared at him, own tears going down his face.

This really was turning to be the best day in his immortal existence. 

Letting out a crying laugh, Fire Spirit touched their foreheads again. “-O-Of course I will, buttercup…!” He was once again giving small kisses over Knight’s face, holding the other close to his body.   
The demigod could see Angel and Devil crying in happiness as well. Clearly the two were also overjoyed with these news. 

Knight let out happy laughs of his own, tears still falling as he held onto the demigod tightly. He knew both of them were still badly injured, but the blond personally couldn’t even feel the pain with how happy he was right now.  
And considering Fire Spirit was suddenly picking Knight off his feet and literally floating in the air while holding him close, Knight deduced the demigod couldn’t feel it either.

  
  
  


From afar, the Gods looked at the pair, happy smile in their faces.

“-Well…” Ivory spoke, just between them and the other Gods. “-I suppose we ARE having a ceremony after all.” They let out a quiet laugh, hands behind their back.

“-Indeed.” Blue said, laughing quietly as well. “-You think we can get a hold of Millennial Tree, Moonlight and Sea Fairy? I’m sure THIS is a ceremony they wouldn’t mind taking part in.” They asked, small smile as they stared at Ivory.

“-I’m sure it can be arranged.” Pitaya spoke, a happy smirk in their face and arms crossed as they stared at the couple. “-You know this is the mushy type of thing that old tree would LOVE to take part in.” They let out a laugh, looking back at the others. 

Ivory let out a hum in confirmation. “-We should get the preparations ready.” They chuckled, looking at Fire Spirit and Knight as well. “-There is quite a lot to be done so this ceremony goes perfect as it should. We should get it done with, specially if we want to invite the other Gods.” They closed their eyes, slowly beginning to walk away.

“-Yes, You are right.” Blue smiled, also looking at the two for a second before following Ivory. “-Should we let the two know when to get ready?” They asked, pointing at Fire Spirit and Knight.

“-Nah.” Violet jumped, following the two. “-I’m sure they just need time for themselves now.” They closed their eyes, arms behind their back as they continued to walk.

“-Yes. They do.” Pitaya let out a quiet hum, looking up at the two. “-I’m sure someone can come get them when everything is ready. Knight probably will want to say goodbye to his friends and what not… You know mortals, such emotional things…” They let out a chuckle, slowly following the other three.

The proud, happy smile never left their face all the way, even when the four gods were gone in a flash of light, back at the Gods realm to get everything ready.

Meanwhile, Fire Spirit and Knight were too busy with one another to notice the Gods leaving.   
Between laughs, both slowly paused, still in the air, Knight arms around Fire Spirit neck, as the demigod held him close to himself tightly, hands around his hip and back, even using his legs to make sure the blond wouldn’t fall from his grasp as they were in the air.

Looking at each other, gaze full of love, the two once again were connecting their lips, a gentle kiss being shared once again, lasting a few seconds, before both separated, foreheads resting against each other.

“-I love you, so much Knight.” Fire Spirit whispered, nuzzling against the human face.

Knight let out a happy giggle, eyes full of love as he stared at the demigod.   
"-I love you too, Fire Spirit.”

And so, their lips were touching again, in another kiss filled with love.

A love that would be lasting for a long, long time.

Sure, Knight still would be explaining the situation to Princess, he refused to not let her know he was alright, that he would follow his heart as she always wanted him to.   
And sure, Knight would miss her and everyone else…

Also yeah, Knight had no idea WHAT to expect when becoming a immortal, a demigod like Fire Spirit. Did the Gods said something his appearance changing? He would be getting powers right? Honestly, he couldn’t even imagine what he would be the demigod of... 

  
  


But he knew things would be alright no matter what.  
As long as he had the comforting warmth of Fire Spirit, the happy shenanigans of Angel and Devil, he would be alright. He would be happy.

Knight found himself really excited for what the future held to him as he nuzzled Fire Spirit face back, just enjoying the warmth of the other arms around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAH WE'RE DONE! <3 So, did ya'll like the ending?! :'D  
> It was funny seeing ya'll worried someone would be dying when I was plainning to turn Knight into a demigod from the start pffff
> 
> BUT STILL, I truly hope you guys enjoyed it. Writting this fic has been an amazing journey, and I hope the journey can continue on the future ask blog!
> 
> Now, There is more I would like to say... BUT THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER CHAPTER LEFT HOHO~  
> So i'll just tell more in the epilogue pfff
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the ending, thank you so much for going into this journey with me, and keep your eyes out for the epilogue! <33


	20. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! THE PROPER FINAL CHAPTER!! <3  
> Aaah i can't say how happy i've been writting this fic :'3 Im SO happy so many people enjoyed this silly little idea I had, to the point it gave me the energy and inspiration to proper finish AND develop this AU.
> 
> Really, thanks SO MUCH to all the people who have been reading and supporting this fic, it wouldn't have been possible without you guys <3 
> 
> And as I had promised... this AU will CONTINUE to exist in the format of an Ask Blog! i'll share the tumblr link at the end notes, feel free to follow if you got a tumblr of your own, and if you don't that's fine! Know you can send asks all the same! :D I can't promise how fast i'll answer, but i can promise some... new plots might appear every now and then ;3c
> 
> BUT FINALLY, ONE LAST THING... YES. WE HAVE MORE DESIGNS TO SHARE~  
> this definitely is the last one lkadsjdkjad But is basically Knight's demigod appearance for this chapter and what not lmao  
> As always, copy + paste the link to see it, and feel free to like/reblog if you got a tumblr of your own! 
> 
> https://galaxyacerodoesart.tumblr.com/post/621942802230771712/as-the-fanfic-finally-came-to-a-end-apart-from
> 
> And now... finally... let us get to the epilogue. :'D

The elder woman continued to calmly walk down the forest path, one arm carrying a small basket containing different types of fruits and baked goods, as the other held her decorated walking stick that helped her move. Humming happily with the wind blowing behind her grayish pink locks, she had a calm smile on her face as she walked down the past she knew by heart. 

She has been going down this path for the past 40 years, after all. 

Finally, after a few more minutes, she reaches her destination.  
A marble statue, secluded at the end of the stone path among the trees, sunlight gently peeking through the high tree branches, the area around it is pretty well kept, yet small vegetation such as vines and flowers make their way around it. In front of the statue, a small shrine stands, place for four candles, that are already light up, around it alongside a small tapestry in front of it.

The woman looks up at the statue’s face and smiles, meeting a familiar face on the marble.   
The face of her best friend.

Slowly, she reaches the shrine, stopping in front of it and with some difficult, she kneels in the ground, lowers her head for a second, and puts her hands together as she silently gives a pray. After she’s done, she pulls the basket she was carrying, and with a steady hand, she slowly begins to place the contents of the basket in the small bowl that stands in the middle of the shrine.   
After she is done, she looks back at the bowl, a content hum let her throat as she stares at her arranging proudly. She then looks back up, staring at the statue, smile never leaving her face, before she once again is bowing her head, silently giving a pray.

She stays like that for a few minutes, before raising her head. The woman lets out a happy sigh, as she slowly starts to get up with some difficulty. Grunting, it takes her a while before she is properly in her feet again, a deep sigh coming out of her mouth as she grumbles annoyed while trying to straight her back and legs, hand securely around the walking cane while it gives her extra support.

“-I really am getting too old for this…” The woman grumbles, annoyed expression in her face as she secures the basket back in her arms again while turning her back to the statue.

“-Then maybe you should ACTUALLY listen to me when I say you don’t need to keep doing this.” A male voice suddenly speaks, a hint of worry and annoyance on it.

Letting out a chuckle, the woman isn’t even surprise by the sudden appearance, as she slowly turns back, gentle smile on her face as she mets face to face with the owner of the voice.

Arms crossed as his blue cape drop over his shoulders, an annoyed yet clearly worried expression on his blue eyes. His long blond hair that slowly turns orange tied in a braid as he continue to stare at the elder woman in front of him, ears twitching in annoyance every few seconds.

Looking back at his face, the woman just let out another chuckle, one hand holding her walking stick as the other rests on her hip.

It was good to see her friend again.  
It was good to see Knight again.

“-Like I could let my favorite guys go on without some extra food.” She huffs, a smirk on her face as she continues to look at the other. 

The demigod sighs, shaking his head slightly as he slowly starts to walk towards the woman. “-Princess, I’ve been telling you this for ages now… I don’t really NEED to eat anymore! None of us back home do.” He stops next to her, a frown in his face as he slowly starts to walk her to a nearby cut down tree trunk to let her rest.

The elder woman just lets out another quiet laugh, letting the blond guide her. “-Well, I haven’t seen ANY complains from the others though.” Princess looks back at Knight, a smug look on her face.

Knight rolls his eyes, a small smile on his face as he finally helps the woman sit down. “-Sure, just because we don’t need to, doesn't mean we don’t LIKE to eat every now and then. Those three just enjoy anything sweet.” He lets out a small laugh, arms crossing when he can see Princess is comfortably sitting down. “-That is absolutely NOT a good enough reason for you to keep pushing yourself like this every month whoever!” Knight glares at her. “-You know I don’t need monthly offerings to protect the village and its people, I do it because I want to.” 

Princess sits down, letting out a huff before she looks back at Knight, rolling her red eyes when the other finish speaking. “-I know that. And I am giving you monthly offerings not because I NEED to, but because I also just WANT to!” 

The blond continues to glare at her, arms crossed, before he let out a deep sigh. “-I’m just worried for you, you really don’t have the age to just go walking into the forest all by yourself anymore. What if something happens?! There will be no one to help you!” 

“-Are you doubting my strenght, young man?!” She gently hits the other legs with her cane, a playful smirk in her face. “-Honestly, younglings nowadays…” Princess lets out another huff, resting her hands in her cane in front of her, eyes closed as she turns her face away from Knight’s, a smile still present.

Knight let out a small chuckle, gently rubbing the area that has been hit. “-I am still older than you, Princess…” He continues to look at her, a small smirk on his own face as he slowly moves to sit down in the grass next to her. 

The woman looks back at him, playful smirk in her own lips. “-With THAT face? How dare you now lie to your elders, huh?!” 

Knight just let out a laugh, used by the playful remarks of the other by now, who was soon joining him in laughter. 

It was hard to believe it had been 50 years already. 

  
  


He still remembers the day everything changed clearly, when he and Fire Spirit officially got together.  
The day he gave up his mortality and became a demigod. 

Knight remembers being sure of his decision, but also terrified of what his best friend back at the village would say, terrified to leave her alone.  
He remembers panicking as he tried to come up with how to explain the whole situation to her, Fire Spirit trying his best to calm him down. And before any of the two could think any further, the pink haired girl was jumping from behind the tree and bushes, tears and worry in her eyes as she finally made her way to the battlefield. 

She was so happy to see Knight was alive, she straight up ignored the fire demigod next to him as she just ran and hugged him tightly, crying her eyes out and demanding to know what happened.   
It took a good few minutes of him trying to calm her down before he could explain everything to her. 

And even longer than that to catch her up on everything.

After her initial shock, she just now had noticed Fire Spirit next to them, and despite being nervous for a minute, that feeling quickly disappeared, as she remembered the words Knight told her.

As she remembered how the blond felt about him. 

Princess was then dropping everything to ask Knight if he had managed to tell the demigod how he felt about him, much to Fire Spirit amusement and Knight’s embarrassment, as the blond just gave the other an affirmative nod, blushing, while she let out a happy squee in delight. 

It was after she kept telling how proud of him she was, that Knight decided to tell her the decision he made. 

And as he expected, it was a really difficult thing to do, but it had to be done. He refused to leave without giving her an explanation and saying goodbye.   
So he did it.

Knight doesn’t know when he too began to cry while telling her everything, but he did. As Princess kept staring at him, mouth agape as she listened. Fire Spirit gently holding the blond’s hand, trying to show him his support, as Knight just kept telling her his choice.   
He kept apologizing between tears, saying how he hoped she could understand his choice and forgive him one day.

She suddenly interrupted his rant as she just hugged him again, arms around his neck making the blond let out a surprised gasp. 

And in between her own tears, she smiled, saying there would be no way she could ever hate him for doing something like that.

_“I told you already Knight… You always put everyone else happiness above your own, you always push away your own chances of being happy just so others can be happy instead. It was time for you to actually go and put yourself in front for once. If this makes you happy, there is nothing I would dare to do to stop you, Knight.”_

It was all the pink haired girl said, as she offered Knight a smile, still hugging him tightly.  
Knight just offered her a smile of his own, tears going down his eyes as well as he hugged her back. 

He truly loved her. She had been his best friend for ages, and he wouldn’t dare to hurt her.   
But she was telling him to go, to live his life.

To be happy. 

And at that moment, Knight promised himself he too would continue to protect her, no matter what. 

So in the end, that moment ended up being pretty great.   
And it just got better as Princess walked straight to Fire Spirit’s face, pointed a finger in his direction, and with a deadly glare, told the demigod that could easily get rid of her in seconds, that if he ever DARED to hurt Knight, she would go after him, not giving a damn if he was a immortal and powerful demigod.

The look of pure horror and shock on Fire Spirit face as he just nodded at her had Knight laughing once again. 

After a few minutes just talking, Knight pointed out Princess probably should be going back, her father obviously was deeply worried for her if she just ran out after him when they were supposed to be evacuating, and she also should tell the village the danger was no more, and they would be able to stay in the village.  
Reluctantly, the girl agreed, knowing the blond was right. Soon, all of them were going back towards the village, still talking among themselves happily. When they could see the village entrance from between the trees, they stopped. 

Fire Spirit pointed out it probably was a bad idea for him to just walk in, which was true. Opting to just waiting for Knight out here instead. Knight whoever, also wasn’t sure if he wanted to go back in. 

Part of him wanted to go and tell the others what happened, make sure they would be alright before he left them.  
But another part of him, was afraid that doing that, would making leaving them behind even more difficult. 

As if being able to tell what he was thinking, Princess told him he didn’t need to go inside. She told him she would tell everyone everything, and he should just go and start his new life. 

Knight just stared at her for a while, before more tears began to fall down his eyes, as he was the one now hugging the girl tightly.  
They hugged for a good minute or two, quietly mumbling their goodbyes. Once finally stepping away from one another, the blond promised her he would be visiting her as soon as he could.  
And Princess could just nod, happy smile on her face as she cleaned her eyes. 

Finally, the girl was sprinting towards her village, giving one final wave and smile to the two, before running back inside, guards and her father quickly going to her side.   
The chief hugging his daughter tightly, as both of them cried while the girl began to tell him everything, was the last thing Knight saw, before he turned back to look at Fire Spirit, a loving gaze on his red eyes as he waited for him.

Knight quickly held his hand, they shared another small kiss, before the demigod asked him if he was ready to go back home with the biggest smile on his face.

And letting out a chuckle, giving one final look at his old home, Knight could only nod, tightening the hold on the other hand.

He found himself really happy to be back in the Gods realm, and even more when that meant he was finally able to see Angel and Devil happy faces again, both spirits literally jumping to hug him as soon as they were in front of the castle, happily mumbling and talking with him. And the blond just hugged them back, laughing.

For a few hours, Knight and Fire Spirit just enjoyed being able to finally be together, no pressure on them coming from anywhere, no eminent danger…  
Just them, and their two little spirits.

Before any of them could realize, Pitaya was appearing in the entrance, surprising both, before the Red God let them know everything was ready for the bonding ceremony, and the only thing missing was them.

The then human and demigod just stared at one another for a while, holding each other hands tightly, Fire Spirit once again asked Knight if he was sure he wanted this, a worried expression on his face, as the blond only smiled, offering him a nod before turning back to Pitaya and telling them he was ready to do it, getting a happy hum from the Red God.

The ceremony itself was honestly incredibly beautiful. Knight remembered Blue saying it was similar to humans wedding, and sure enough, they weren’t wrong about that.   
And sure, Knight was incredibly nervous, just like the fire demigod himself. Sure, there were quite a lot of Gods around that Knight had never seen before, only read of from books, which was slightly intimidating. 

As he listened to Ivory’s words on what he had to do, he found himself afraid he would mess something up. Afraid he would get something wrong and mess up the whole thing.

But all those worries had melted away as he met face to face with Fire Spirit, looking at him with a gaze so filled with love that seemed to assure the blond things would be alright.

And sure enough, they did.   
The ceremony had been a success. Knight and Fire Spirit were bonded, the blond had officially become a demigod, and in a matter of days after the ceremony, both his and even Fire Spirit appearances had changed to reflect their new bond.

Knight, Demigod of Bravery and Protection.

Fire Spirit kept saying the title fitted him perfectly, and Knight found himself inclined to agree. It did seem fitting. 

It took him a lot of time to get used to his new powers and abilities, even more for him to control and be able to summon a proper weapon, but sure enough, with time and support, the blond managed to do so.

It was around 3 years after he had turned, that he managed to go back to the mortals realm and visit Princess.   
The look of shock and then delight on Princess face is one he remembers clearly.

He was hesitant, Knight can’t deny that. He knew his appearance had changed slightly, and while it wasn’t something THAT big, it still left the blond self conscious, so of course Fire Spirit went with him, if just to push the blond to actually go and talk with his childhood friend like he wanted to. Knight honestly appreciated the other support, he’s pretty sure that if it wasn’t for him, he would have bailed and not met with Princess at that time.

But luckily, Fire Spirit was there and made sure he did.

As luck would have it, Princess wasn’t even in the village itself, being instead in the outskirts of the forest nearby, Pistachio, who was the one to step up and assume the position of Princess’s right hand guard now that Knight wasn’t around anymore, close by her. Both girls just talking happily as the pink haired collected some of the nearby flowers and berries.  
So when Knight appeared, face hidden by the fluff in his blue cape, slowly removing the hood to reveal himself to the two, easy to say the pink haired girl just bolted next to him, leaving a mouth agape Pistachio holding a basket full of flowers as she stared at Knight with wide eyes. Princess just laughed happily, arms still around Knight’s neck as she hugged him tightly, small tears in her eyes. 

Fire Spirit stayed close by, a content smile on his face as he saw the two interact happily with one another.

And sure enough, talk they did, Princess bombarding Knight with questions about his appearance and how he was doing, Knight doing his best to explain, as slowly the conversation just turned to a more casual one, Pistachio and Fire Spirit being dragged into it at some point, the four of them just talked for what felt like hours.   
Knight learned Princess was a few months from officially becoming the village chief, and he couldn’t have been prouder of her. 

The visits became rather frequent, with Knight going to the mortals realm at least once every month to catch up with the pink haired girl and the others, Fire Spirit would sometime tag along, other times Devil or Angel insisted on going, despite the fact Princess couldn’t see them, she was clearly happy to meet with Knight’s and Fire Spirit kids, as she called them. 

Knight can’t deny hearing her say that always made him blush while he hid his face in the fluff of his cape. 

And despite not being able to be seen, the little spirits were happy to meet with Knight’s old friends as well, both always would return to the Gods realm with huge grins, talking among themselves about what they learned and saw when in the mortals realm. 

Soon, Knight found out that despite not being a part of that world anymore, he still was able to see Princess grow and become the amazing leader she was, ruling her people to greatness and success like he always knew she would.   
And that was sure what she did.

Pitaya had kept their promise, no harm had ever come to the village again after the events of their fight years ago.  
Eventually, when Knight had a better grip on his powers, the Red God offered to let the protection of the village and its people be Knight’s responsibility, after all, the blond had done that for years, and he WAS the demigod of protection.

Knight happily took their offer, and officially became the one to protect the village and its people for generations to come. 

When telling the girl the news, Princess obviously was incredibly proud and happy for him.  
It was around ten years after he first turned into a demigod, that Princess took him to see something special deep in the forest that had Knight staring wide in shock.

In the middle of where all the battle against Pitaya happened, years ago, stood a statue. A statue of him. Beautifully made, Knight was quick to realize it wasn’t just a statue, it was in fact a offering place.   
A offering place for him. A place where the people could go and pray to him, asking for his blessing and strength in times of need.   
A place that truly connected him as the protector of the village. 

Knight remember staring at Princess in shock, saying she didn’t need to do something like this, but she just shrugged him off as he hugged him, saying he definitely deserved a statue just for everything he did in all the years he lived in the village and for what he did to all of them. 

As the years passed, Princess made it a tradition of sorts to go leave some offerings in the shrine that he could take back with him every month. And that was a tradition she kept. Even as time clearly began to take a grip on her, as she grew to be a fine woman, as her hair began to grey out and wrinkles began to appear in her face. 

Knight had seen her grow, had seen her become that amazing woman, had seen her get married, have children of her own, and yet, the girl never dared to stop visiting his statue and meeting with him, despite the blond insisting she didn’t need to keep doing it as the path towards it became harder and harder for her to take.

But of course, stubborn as ever, Princess just shrugged him off, telling him she would keep coming as long as her legs could carry her here. 

And that's exactly what she did to this day, 50 years after Knight had become a demigod.

* * *

Knight let out a happy sigh, looking at the blue sky above him while listening to Princess tell him about what has going around the village and whatnot as he remembered the events that lead him to be where he was.

A demigod, protecting the village and its people, while happily living with Fire Spirit, Angel and Devil. Who fine, he’ll admit to Princess amusement, were basically his husband and children.  
Not feeling like someone who inserted himself in a family without warning, but rather someone who was part of the said family as well. 

“-So… Say.” Princess humming voice brought him back to reality, as he looked back at her. “-How are the others? Anything new going on in the Gods world?” She asked, a gently smile in her face.

Knight let out a hum, smile in his own face. “-Things are fine. The balance between the Gods is still holding strong despite the latest additions and what not… Angel and Devil magic have gotten even stronger, they are ready to do proper minor spirit work here in the mortals realm.” He paused, eyes turning away from Princess as he stared at a ground, a happy smile in his face. “-And Fire Spirit has been fine as well. He apologizes for not being able to come today, but Pitaya wanted him to train a little more of his beast form so he can get a better grip on it.” 

Princess let out a laugh, closing her eyes while shrugging him off. “-Oh it’s fine. I love to see the guy, but I also love to just talk with you without having to see you two making out every 5 minutes.” The woman looked back at Knight from the corned of her eyes, a smirk in her face. 

Knight could feel himself blushing, a embarrassed expression on his face as he glared at the other. “-We do NOT make out every 5 minutes when we are here!” He continued to glare at her, ears twitching.

The woman let out a laugh. “-Oh my bad. I meant every 2 minutes.” Her grin widened, a playful expression on her face as she continued to stare at the other red face. 

The glare on Knight’s face intensified, crossing his arms in annoyance, the demigod let out a annoyed huff as he turned his head away from Princess’s. “-You are saying that just to see me blush, and you know that.” 

“-Am I?” Princess turned to look at the sky, a amused smirk in her face. “-I’m just saying what I see… ‘Buttercup’~” She grinned, looking back at Knight’s direction, smirk never leaving her face.

The blush on the blond’s face grew bigger. “-Don’t call me that!” He let out a huff, glaring back at her for a minute before turning his head away from her, arms still crossed. “-...Only Fire Spirit gets to call me that.” He mumbled quietly, face hidden in his cape as the blush in his face reached his ears. 

Princess let out a loud laugh, small happy tears in her eyes as she just laughed at the other for a few minutes.  
“-Right, right… Sorry.” She said between quiet laughs, cleaning her tears with one of her hands. “-Didn’t mean to use your nickname exclusive to your husband.” Princess rolled her eyes, playful smirk on her face as she gently poked the other side with her cane. 

Knight just let out another huff in annoyance, arms still crossed as he pouted slightly, blush still in his cheeks.

The smirk in the woman face then got wider. “-Come on now, don’t get upset at me for just being curious here.” She let out a small chuckle, one hand touching the other shoulder. 

The blond rolled his eyes, small smile in his face as he glared playfully at her. “-Of course I can’t be mad. But don’t expect me to stay quiet when you go around saying lies like these. Neither of us have the age to be acting this childish.” Knight smirked, a challenging glare on his face. 

“-ARE they lies though?” She raised her eyebrows, smirk still in her face. “-And I mean.. Sure. You want us to stop acting childish? How about some more adult questions then?!” Princess glared back at Knight, a challenging gaze of her own in her face as she pointed her cane at the other direction. 

Knight gulped, frowning slightly as he stared at the other.

“-Fooor example…” Princess hummed, eyes closing and turning away from Knight for a second, before she stared right back at him, a smirk in her face. “-I remember you telling me that since you are a demigod now, you have more stamina and what not, right~?”

“-Uuh… Yes...?” Knight raised a eyebrow in confusion, still blushing slightly. He honestly had no idea where that conversation was going. 

“-So having that in mind… Say…” The smirk on the older woman got somehow even bigger, as one of her hands moved in front of her mouth. “-How long are you and Fire Spirit able to take it in bed since both of your guys have higher stamina~?” 

Knight eyes just widened as his face got completely red with blushing, in the panic, the demigod literally let out a shriek, quickly laying on his back as he got a hold on the hood of his cape and went to cover his face with it.   
“-P-PRINCESS!!” He shouted, voice cracking while still trying to hide his face. “-THAT’S-- T-THAT’S HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE!!” He stared at her, eyes wide while the hood still was in his head, hands holding onto it. 

Princess let out a laugh. “-What?! You TOLD ME to be less childish, didn’t you?!” She let out a chuckle, smirking at the other direction. “-Still on the same page, I know the guy is literally FIRE Spirit, but how HOT really gets when it hits, ya’know what I mean~?” She looked down at Knight’s completely red face, sly smirk never leaving her face.

Knight meanwhile, could only scream in embarrassment, trying to hide his completely red face with his hands.

The woman was once again laughing at her friend “suffering” in the ground. Her laugh and Knight’s muffled screams filling the area around them. 

It was when the woman laughter turned into a coughing fit, that Knight finally looked back at her, face still red as he got up from the ground, still clearly embarrassed from the conversation, but putting that aside to focus back on his friend.  
She usually had a hard time stopping those coughs when they started, nowadays.

Gently tapping her in the back, Knight cursed the fact he had no water nearby, and could only try to offer the other his support as she calmed down, staring at her with a worried expression as she tried to get a hold of her breathing.

It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Princess was able to properly breath without coughing again. Knight just stood by her side, stroking her back.   
“-Yeesh…” Princess whispered, voice rough from the coughing. “-That was a good one.” She let out a quiet laugh, eyes closing as she held onto her cane tightly. 

Knight let out a worried sigh, hands not leaving the other back. “-I already told you to be more careful, Princess…” He frowned, worry in his face. 

Princess waved him off. “-I’m fine Knight.” She offered him a small smile. “-I still got plenty of life left on me.” 

The blond let out a quiet sad hum, gaze turning away from her for a minute as he stared at the ground, worried and sad expression in his face. He knew she was getting older. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop that. That was something the other Gods had warned him from the start. Death was a natural part of a mortals life, even if he didn’t belong to that life anymore, he knew that was the natural law.

It didn’t make it any easier for him, whoever. 

The woman stared at his worried face for a moment, pouting in anger before raising her cane and weakly hitting the other at the top of his head with it, making Knight let out a quiet hiss, as he turned back to look at her, confused look in his face.   
“-Now, now, what’s with the face, huh?” She asked him, small smile in her face. “-We already agreed, no sad faces while he hang out.” 

Knight just stared at her, one hand rubbing the spot in his head that has been hit, before he let out a huff, small smile in his face. “-Right…” He let out a laugh, moving to stand next to the other again. “-Sorry. I promise to stop worrying if you drop those PERSONAL questions of yours.” The blond glared back at her, arms crossed, playful smile in his face. 

Princess let out a quiet laugh. “-Fine, fine…” She rolled her eyes, before looking back at Knight smiling. “-Is not my fault you get blushy as a teenager when talking about your husband of over fifty years now. Come on, like you said, we are both adults here! Is not like you guys DIDN’T do it before, right?” She grinned, sly look on her face.

Knight just glared at her, pouting slightly as his cheeks turned red again, ears going down in annoyance. “-Personal. Questions. Princess…” He replied, voice low.

The woman just let out another chuckle, shaking her head slightly. “-FIIIINE. I’ll stop.” 

The demigod let out a huff, blush still present in his face and ears. “-Thank you.” He offered the other a small smile, sitting back next to her.

The two continued to talk for a few more minutes, sharing stories that happened with them in the latest days and what not, just catching up with one another. When Knight realized they were talking for almost two hours, he offered to take Princess back, as he could see it would be getting dark soon. Letting out a sigh, the elder woman accepted.  
Helping her get up, the two of them started to walk down the path slowly, Princess keeping a hand around Knight’s arm while the other held her walking cane, Knight carrying the basket she had brought as the two walked back to the village, happily talking among themselves.   
It took a few minutes to reach the village, the village that had grown to prosper over the years. Looking at it with a small smile, Knight offered the basket back to Princess, who happily took it after letting go of his arm. 

“-Same time next month?” Princess asked, smiling at Knight as she stepped towards the village.

Knight let out a sigh, crossing his arms. “-I REALLY would rather you not walk all the way there by yourself…” He frowned at her, worry clear in his face. 

She just rolled her eyes, letting out a huff. “-Fine Fine… Would it be better If I go and see if one of my children or grandchildren can go with me?” 

The demigod hummed, still glaring at her before letting out a sigh in defeat. “-Fine. Just have someone else accompany you, please. And you DON’T NEED to kneel to the ground, I already told you that!” Knight looked at her, scolding tone of voice.

Princess let out a quiet laugh. “-Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.” She let out a hum, looking back at Knight for a second before looking back at the village entrance. “-Well… Guess I should get going.” 

Knight let out a hum of his own, smiling slightly. “-Yeah… Take care Princess.” 

The woman smiled, slowly walking towards the entrance, one hand waving at the demigod direction. “-Same to you Knight, and send my greetings to Fire Spirit and the little rascals!” Princess continued to walk, not really looking back at Knight.

The blond let out a chuckle, waving as well. “-Sure! I’ll see if they can come as well next time!” He said a little louder for her to hear. 

Princess just confirmed with another wave, before finally stepping inside the village, a group of kids happily running at her and chatting words Knight couldn’t make out from where he was.

With a content smile in his face, Knight watched his friend walk inside the village, happily greeting the people and entertaining the children around her. As she walked out of his sight of view, he let out a sigh, turning back and walking further into the forest, back at the shrine.

Picking up the offerings Princess had left in his arms, he let out a quiet hum, before stepping back a little.   
And with a flash of lightning, Knight was gone, going back to his home.

* * *

As he found himself back at the entrance of the castle, the smile in Knight’s face got bigger.   
He still remembers the first time he was standing here in front of those gates.

Who could tell things would turn out like they did, huh.

Letting out a chuckle, the blond just made his way inside. The castle itself still looked the same, main difference being the blue banner with shield designs floating alongside the red ones with flames. But other than that, the gardens were still a sight to look at, beautiful as ever with even more type of flowers of different colors in bloom. 

It didn’t take long for two small spirits be jumping at him when he stepped inside the place, Angel and Devil happily welcoming him and asking about his visit. Smiling happily, Knight just spended time with them, answering their questions and sharing what he brought back with them.

Seeing Fire Spirit still wouldn’t be back for a few hours, Knight just stayed with the two, helping them train their powers and preparing them for their first time properly going to the mortals realm to do a minor spirit job, something both were clearly excited about.

By the time the fire demigod was back, the moon was already high in the sky, and Knight was just spending time with Angel and Devil in the living room, joining them in their little drawing games and what not. 

Fire Spirit just walked into the living room, letting out a whine as he flopped down face first at the sofa next to Knight, arms quickly going around the other waist as he continued to whine into the sofa.

  
Knight could only chuckle at the other behavior, one hand moving to pet the other in his head, fingers going through the other fire hair gently. “-Rough day training, huh?” He asked, smile in his face as he looked down at him.

Fire Spirit just let out another whine, lifting his head up and resting it on Knight’s lap instead, the grip on the other tightening. “-Uuuugh you have NO IDEA.” He frowned. “-I’m pretty sure Pitaya is just trying to kill me again.” The fire demigod pouted, eyes still closed as he nuzzled the other side. 

Knight just rolled his eyes, letting out a huff, fingers still going around the other hair. “-Don’t be so dramatic, they are just making sure you can actually control your beast form properly.” The blond said calmly. 

“-UUUUGH…” Fire Spirit let out another loud whine. “-I know…” He let out a huff in annoyance, lifting his head slightly and leaning into Knight’s touch. “-Still, they don’t need to go all out like that.”

“-I’m sure they are just trying their best.” Knight hummed, smile in his face as he stared down at Fire Spirit pouting face. “-They have been trying to make things… Better between you two, you know that.” He offered him a sympathetic smile. 

The fire demigod let out a loud sigh. “-I know…” He whispered, voice quiet as Knight continued to gently move his fingers through his flame hair. 

Knight stared at the other, concerned look on his face. “-Say…” The blond said, voice low as he slowly turned Fire Spirit face to look at him. “-How about we just take a stroll in the back garden hmm?” Knight offered him a smile. “-Just so you can clear your head a little bit. I can tell you about my meeting with Princess today, how about it?”

Fire Spirit looked back at him for a few seconds, before letting out a happy sigh, smile appearing in his face. “-Sure, I would love to, buttercup.” He smiled at the other, before getting up, offering a hand to help Knight up from the sofa. 

Chuckling slightly, smile still in his face, Knight just accompanied him, Fire Spirit turning and telling the little spirits in the room they would be back soon so they better behave, receiving a laughing and a annoyed response. 

Soon, both of them were in the back garden, walking down the stone path, hand in hand as Knight filled Fire Spirit with everything that happened today with him in the mortals realm, the fire demigod listening closely, a happy smile in his face as he jumped in to add something to the conversation every now and then.

As the moon and stars continued to shine brightly above them, Fire Spirit suddenly stops in his tracks, making the blond look at him in confusion, before he can ask what’s wrong, the fire demigod is pulling him closer, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss, Knight is quickly kissing the other back, happy smile between the kiss on both of their faces.   
Moving away from one another, they just stand there quietly, happy smiles in their faces, one of Knight hands resting on Fire Spirit shoulder, while the other gently caressed the fire demigod face. Fire Spirit meanwhile, had one hand around the blond hip, keeping him closer while the other hand rested on top of Knight’s hand in his face. Both just stood there, happy to be in each other presence. 

Yes, things were really different from Knight’s old life nowadays.   
Yes, he did miss his old friends, and worried for them deeply.

But at the end of the day, Knight loved all of it.   
Being close to Fire Spirit, having the other hold him, seeing the happy faces of Angel and Devil as the two happily shared their tricks and games with him…  
All that made Knight the happiest he ever had been.   
And that happiness, he wasn’t looking to trade for anything in any of the worlds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, i can't thank everyone enough for all the support through this fanfic <33 It has easily been one of my favorite lil projects to work on.  
> AAAAND I hope you guys will CONTINUE to follow AND interact with on the new ask blog! ;3
> 
> https://fierybuttercups.tumblr.com/
> 
> Heads up tho, the time period of the askblog is AFTER chapter 19, but BEFORE the epilogue!


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